Smoke 'em out

Two ministries of the Government of India apparently seem to have conflicting mandates. It is not permissible that one ministry under the Government of India should promote the tobacco industry, while the other seeks to control and strive towards reduction of tobacco use

- YOGESH PRATAP SINGH

Tobacco use is a global epidemic that kills six million-people annually. Approximately one person dies every six seconds due to tobacco, accounting for one in 10 adult deaths. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), tragically more than 80 per cent of those deaths occur in the developing world.

India is the second highest consumer of tobacco products in the world with around 29 per cent of all adults ~ 267 million people ~ using tobacco in some form. Tobacco kills more than 1.3 million people in India annually.

A WHO supported study conducted by the Public Health Foundation of India found that the total economic costs attributable to tobacco use in 2011 amounted to a staggering Rs 104,500 crores (US$ 22.4 billion), or roughly 1.16 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. This shows that India faces a considerable tobacco-related mortality and morbidity burden.

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) was the first international instrument adopted by WHO in 2003 to combat this menace. The instrument was signed by 181 countries and came into force on 27 February 2005. It has since become one of the most rapidly and widely embraced treaties in the history of the United Nations.

The preamble to the Convention displays the commitment of countries to develop an international legal instrument to eradicate tobacco use.

The obligation of state parties under Article 5.3 of the FCTC to protect public health policies from tobacco industry interference (TII) is acknowledged as ‘the backbone of the Convention’.

Treaty guidelines recommend adopting measures to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure transparency; reject partnerships with or contributions from the tobacco industry and require information from it; and, not to give incentives for tobacco business.