Issue 9
Tobacco Control in India
Fortnightly News Summary
NATIONAL HEADLINES
♦ Beedi makers’ plea made us defer photo pictorial
warning scheme: govt
The pressure mounted by beedi industry and other
interested parties on the Union Health Ministry seems to
be working as the government has linked its decision to
defer implementation of the proposed depiction of pictorial
warnings on tobacco products to their pleas. (Source: Zee
News: 10 January 2009)
♦ Tobacco FDI attracts global lobby
International governments and global tobacco players
from Switzerland, Japan and the US have come together
to lobby against a government move to ban Foreign Direct
Investment in tobacco. India currently allows up to 100 per
cent FDI in this sector, but the health ministry has moved
a draft note for the cabinet to ban foreign investment in
this sector. This move is likely to re-focus attention on a
proposal from Japan Tobacco International (JTIL), which
has applied to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board to
raise its stake in its Indian venture from 50 to 74 per cent.
(Source: Business Standard: 15 January 2009)
♦ Ramadoss to seek increase in anti-tobacco
campaign budget
Union Health Minster Anbumani Ramadoss today said his
ministry will seek an increase in budgetary allocation for
the anti-tobacco campaign and plans to use part of cess
collected from tobacco sales for the purpose. The
campaign would involve a lot more enforcers in the form
of members of parliament, MLAs, panchayats, teachers,
among others to drive the no-smoking rule apart from
punitive measures, the minister said while unveiling an
anti-tobacco rally at Bangalore Medical College here.
(Source: Business Standard: 6 January 2009)
♦ Ban on smoking in public places goes up in smoke
The ambitious ban on smoking in public places has failed
to take off in a majority of states. Ever since October 2,
when the ban formally came into force, only eight
states/UTs have started imposing fines on those caught
violating the law. Repeated reminders by the Union health
ministry to large states like West Bengal and Maharashtra
to implement the ban in toto have fallen on deaf ears.
(Source: The Times of India: 31 December 2008)
♦ Smoking norms has no meaning in UP
Even after the imposition of the Anti Smoking Act,
smoking was found to be rampant in many government /
private offices and other public places in Lucknow, the
capital city of Uttar Pradesh. (Source: Dainik Jagran: 26
December 2008)
♦ After months of smoking ban, Chhattisgarh yet to
file a case
Chhattisgarh police, yet to register a maiden case against
a smoker even after three months of ban on smoking in
public places, say they have more serious jobs in hand in
the Maoist insurgency-hit state.Top officers at the police
headquarters here said the state police, having a strength
of nearly 40,000 personnel for nearly 20.08 million
Provided by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use
3-16 January 2009
population, were still looking for the first case against a
smoker. (Source: IANS: 16 December 2008)
STATE HEADLINES, Tamil Nadu
♦ Yoga to be mandatory in schools
Pointing out that about 10 lakh people died every year in
India due to tobacco consumption of which five lakh were
affected by cancer, he said the ban on smoking was
aimed at protecting public health and said people should
also keep away from drugs, alcohol and junk food.
"Earlier, the age when one was initiated into alcohol
consumption was 28. This later came down to 19 and now
it is as low as 13. Presently, about 40 per cent of the road
accidents in the country occur due to drunken driving,''
Anbumani said. (Source: The Times of India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu: 9
January 2009)
♦ Check smoking in public places: : JD(S) youth wing
The Tiruchi Urban District Janata Dal (Secular) Youth
Wing has urged the State government to intensify its
measures to check smoking in public places besides
enforcing total prohibition in the State. (Source: The Hindu,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu: 24 December 2008)
♦ Passive smokers still have a long way to go
In those days you could spot them anywhere in the city.
Lounging in the bus stop, stretching their legs at the
coffee shop or enjoying a film in the theatre, the smoke
from the cigarette creating a halo around their heads. But
the scene has changed now. (Source: The New Indian Express,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu: 15 January 2009)
♦ Rally against tobacco
Sensitising the masses to health hazards of smoking,
volunteers of Rotaract Clubs of Thanthai Hans Roever
College, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan College for Women,
Srinivasan College of Arts and Science and Sri Saradha
College for Women, took out an ‘Anti-tobacco awareness’
rally here recently. (Source: The Hindu, Perambalur, Tamil Nadu: 26
December 2008)
♦ Smoke free campaign hots up
The Directorate of Public Health has measured air
nicotine levels in several public places, including schools
and government buildings, to make a case for the risks
faced by passive smokers in the city. The Directorate of
Public Health and communications service provider Airtel
have come together to launch a campaign where
messages against tobacco use would be sent to all Airtel
uses in the form of SMS. (Source: The Hindu, Chennai, Tamil
Nadu: 18 December 2008)
♦ Teenagers to getting addicted to pan masala
IT starts as a 'time-pass'. Slowly it becomes a habit. And
then it becomes an obsession. A recent trend is that
teenagers, especially in the age group 12-15, are
increasingly getting addicted to tobacco-based pan
masala because of its easy availability and low pricing.
Figures indicate that of all tobacco-users only 30 percent
are smokers. The rest take tobacco in the form of pan
masala and gutkha. (Source: The New Indian Express, Chennai,
Tamil Nadu: 16 December 2008)
 Issue 9

Provided by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use