A Dancing Doctor Discovers Cosmic Therapy

The Tobacco Tragedy

Visa Ban Cramps Tourism

War Scare Keeping Tourists Away

Freedom for the hungry millions

by  Shabbir Qadri

Anti-smoking legislation enacted by many Indian States has fallen victim to the gross insensitivity of law-enforcement agencies and the casual approach to public health. The population of smokers and tobacco consumers is steadily increasing, causing a threat to the objective of Health for All. The Supreme Court of India has recently asked the States to enforce a ban on smoking in public places. The age-old phenomenon of smoking can be controlled or put to an end only by enacting legal provisions.

Though, many States like Tamilnadu, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala have strongly advocated and enforced the ban on the production, sale and marketing of tobacco products, concrete results have yet to be seen. Recently, Uttar Pradesh exempted gutka (a combination of raw tobacco and betelnut) from tax—a jolt to the anti-tobacco movement.

The World Health Organisation’s report titled "The Great Tobacco Tragedy" expresses deep concern over the growing tendency of smoking among women in developing nations. According to the report, 4.3 crore women smoke regularly in India. The highest percentage of women accustomed to smoking are in Andhra Pradesh. It is awesome to think of the impact on future generations if expectant mothers proudly continue smoking and an average of 20 lakh youngsters start consuming tobacco in all forms from a tender age. In the next two decades, 15 crore people will die prematurely due to tobacco consumption.

Every year, 42 lakh persons die of cancer caused by tobacco consumption. In India, the scenario has worsened since Independence. Now 80 per cent of the male and 30 per cent of the female population suffer cancer caused by tobacco consumption.

China, the U. S. A. and India are the three leading tobacco producers, followed by Russia, Turkey, Italy, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Bulgaria and Japan. The area under tobacco cultivation is 4.5 million hectares worldwide. Per capita tobacco consumption in India is 0.7 kg. India has 250 million tobacco consumers; half of them smoke bidis, while 77 million consume raw tobacco. The bidi-making industry is growing fast. Indian bidis have a good market potential in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. India is the third largest tobacco producer after China and the U. S. A. It ranks eighth among the largest tobacco exporters in the world. Twenty lakh Indian farmers, mainly from Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu cultivate tobacco over a total four-lakh hectare area.

Since tobacco production and marketing involves about one crore people and has assumed the status of a potential cottage industry, it would be difficult for any government at the Centre to wind up this Excise-earning industry whose share in agriculture export remains nearly five per cent. The domestic bidi industry alone employs 4.4 million people.

Tobacco consumption has been steadily increasing since independence. Cigarette and bidi companies and tobacco product manufacturing companies have succeeded in securing visibility in the Indian economy. They have also generated employment opportunities. In such a scenario, even if a ban on smoking at public places is strictly enforced, tobacco consumption in private would continue. Indian society and law-making bodies will have to think about a practical strategy.