Letters to the Editor
THE INTRODUCTION of the Tobacco Bill 2001 is a strong step forward, but can it really address the issue?

India, with its age-old tradition of widespread tobacco consumption, must adopt serious measures to curb its usage. A closer look at the bill suggests that it is inspired by WHO efforts in other countries where (unlike India) the only form of tobacco consumption is cigarettes.

Policy makers do not seem to have considered that 84 per cent of tobacco consumed in India is in the form of beedis and chewing tobacco. These may slip out from the purview of the bill due to their unorganised status and reluctance of the states to adopt the bill.

Incidentally, the beedi and chewing tobacco industries fall under the state list.

So far, only four states – Goa, UP, Bengal and Punjab – have agreed to allow central legislation to be applicable in their respective states.

Due to increase in excise and other taxes, tobacco consumption pattern has alarmingly shifted in favour of the more dangerous chewing tobacco products. The implementation of the bill may actually support this and other non-smoking routes.

In the last three years cigarette consumption went down from 19 to 16 per cent and that of beedi droped from 54 to 32 per cent. In contrast, consumption of tobacco by chewing spiraled from 27 per cent to 48 per cent.

Significantly, researches have proved that such routes tend to be more harmful due to higher tar and nicotine contents.

So any legislation aimed at curbing tobacco consumption should address the problem posed by beedis and chewing tobacco.

Although cigarettes account for only 16 per cent of all the tobacco that is consumed, the industry contributes 90 per cent of all the excise revenue. Cigarettes also account for the entire foreign exchange earnings of the tobacco industry.

If the government really wants to save people from tobacco danger it will be far more practical and sensible to stipulate that tobacco companies advertising in the media should necessarily spend a proportionate amount on public interest advertising highlighting the hazards of tobacco consumption.

Alternatively, the government can also fund such public interest advertising through the excise surcharge imposed on cigarettes in this year’s Budget.

I urge that the authorities should reconsider the bill, since the Tobacco Bill in its present format will be limited to the major metros and remain a showpiece to the world.

Amit Rajvansh

Bhubaneshwar