Explaining the reason behind the Union Cabinet decision to ban e-cigarettes , Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 29 said his government wanted to prevent “a new form of intoxication destroying a demographically young country.”
He was delivering his monthly radio speech, Mann Ki Baat , Mr. Modi said a ‘myth’ had been created that e-cigarettes were less harmful than tobacco.
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He said like the conventional cigarette, it does not spread an odour as fragrant chemicals are added to it but they are harmful and pose a health hazard.
“... E-cigarette has been banned so that this new form of intoxication does not destroy our demographically young country. It does not trample on the dreams of a family and waste the lives of our children. This scourge and this obnoxious habit should not become rooted in our society,” he said.
Unlike a regular cigarette, an e-cigarette is an electronic device where the heating of nicotine-containing fluids creates a type of chemical smoke and this is the pathway through which nicotine is consumed, the Prime Minister explained.
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“There is little awareness among people about e-cigarettes. They are also completely unaware of its danger and for this reason sometimes e-cigarettes sneak into the house out of sheer curiosity.”
Talking about his government’s effort to curb single-use plastic, he said, “130 crore Indians have pledged to fight the menace of plastic”.
‘Plogging’
The Prime Minister highlighted the efforts of Ripudaman Belvi who has started the movement of plogging – a combination of jogging and picking up litter.
“In view of the kind of lead that India has taken towards environmental protection, today the countries of the entire world are looking towards India as a model,” Mr. Modi said.
While speaking to Mr. Belvi, the Prime Minister informed him that the Sports Ministry has organised the ‘Fit India Plogging Run’ on October 2 in which participants from across India will plog for two km.
Talking about sportsmanship, the Prime Minister praised 23-year-old Daniil Medvedev – who lost the U.S. Open Tennis championship finals to 19-time grand slam winner Rafael Nadal – for his ‘simplicity and maturity’ in handling the situation.
Birthday greetings
Mr. Modi said he had extended birthday greetings to Lata Mangeshkar before embarking on his week-long visit to the U.S. as he made his telephonic conversation with the legendary singer public on his radio address.
Ms. Mangeshkar turned 90 on September 28.
During the conversation, Mr. Modi described Ms. Mangeshkar as an elder sister while the singer heaped praise on him, saying the picture of India has started changing ever since he became Prime Minister.