The anti-smoking laws that were passed through a legislation in 2005 need to be re-looked at if the government is seriously thinking of doing something to curb the practice of smoking in general and in the public arena, according to the president of Praja Spandana C.S. Rao.
Speaking to The Hindu on Monday on the occasion of the World No Tobacco Day, the former officer of the Indian Economic Service pointed out that India recorded an annual figure of over 3.5 lakh deaths related to the use of tobacco products in different forms, and despite the legislation, smoking and sale of tobacco products in public went unabated.
“It is an age-old and wide-spread habit and to control it, the root cause has to be addressed. The law is passed but the enforcement is very weak,” he said. .
Tobacco cultivation in India is spread over 4.5 lakh hectares and over 100 million kg of tobacco is produced annually. India is also the only country that produced the golden leaf tobacco in the world.
Mr. Rao is of the opinion that the problem can be addressed by abolishing the tobacco board, banning cultivation of tobacco and closing down the companies that produce cigarettes, beedis and other tobacco-related products.
“If the government is serious in addressing the problem, the board has to be dissolved as its members have vested interests. The cultivation has to be limited to medicinal values only - like it has been done for poppy - and other crops should be encouraged to support the farmers. Similarly, the cigarette and beedi manufacturing companies need to be closed and its employees rehabilitated in other industries. The government has to strictly implement the WHO mandate in this regard. Mere splashing anti-smoking advertisement would not suffice,” said Mr. Rao.
