With the Indian Railways planning to brand trains and stations to augment revenues, the Union Health Ministry has written to the Ministry of Railways requesting it to not allow advertisements of products that may have negative health impact.
While it welcomed the move by the Railways, the Health Ministry warned that the initiative could be used by corporations to promote products such as alcohol, tobacco, food containing high amounts of fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), and sugar sweetened beverages, including aerated and non-aerated beverages, that have negative health externalities.
“The advertisement of such products will result in unfavourable health and economic consequences... it will also scuttle on-going efforts to reduce/regulate the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy food products,” noted the Health Ministry.
Major impact
The letter highlighted that advertisements for such products could increase the problem of Non Communicable Diseases (lifestyle diseases).
According to the World Economic Forum and Harvard School of Public Health, India stands to lose $4.58 trillion between 2012-30 due to NCDs, while Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) alone could account for $2.17 trillion in economic losses.
In 2013, CVDs, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases led to nearly 3.1 million premature deaths in India in the age group of 30-69 years.
India has the second largest number of tobacco users (275 million or 35% of all adults in India) in the world. At least 10 lakh Indians die every year from tobacco-related diseases — that’s about 2,500 per day.
The total direct and indirect cost of diseases attributable to tobacco use was a staggering $17 billion in 2011 or 1.16 % of India’s GDP.
