Question : Tobacco Consumption

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) the number of users of cigarettes and other tobacco products along with the incidence of smoking and tobacco consumption increased or decreased in the country during each of the last three years and the current year, gender and State/
UT-wise;

(b) the number of tobacco attributable deaths reported indicating those died of passive smoking in the country during the said period, gender and State/UT-wise;

(c) the funds spent by the Government on treatment of tobacco attributable diseases and other tobacco control programmes during the said period, State/ UT-wise;

(d) the measures being taken by the Government to open tobacco de-addiction centres, spread awareness against tobacco use through social media and ban manufacturing and marketing of cigarettes and tobacco products in the country; and

(e) whether the Government proposes to develop a comprehensive policy on tobacco and tobacco related issues with due consideration to balance public health and revenue generation including increased taxation on tobacco and related products,
and if so, the details thereof?

(a): As per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS, 2010) conducted by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare the estimated number of tobacco users in India is 27.5 crore, with 16.37 crore users of only smokeless tobacco, 6.9 crore only smokers and 4.23 crore users of both smoking and smokeless tobacco. There is no such data indicating the increase or decrease in the incidence of smoking and tobacco consumption in the country during each of the last three years and the current year.
(b): No study has been conducted by the Government estimating the number of deaths attributable to passive smoking in India.
(c): Details of the funds released to the States / Union Territories (UTs) under the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) and the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (NPCDCS) during the current year and in the previous three years are at ANNEX.
(d): Setting up tobacco cessation Centre is a part of the District Level Activities under the National Tobacco Control Programme. The Government has approved setting up tobacco cessation centres at District level under the National Health Mission in the 12th Five Year Plan.
Creating awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use is a key national and state level activity under the National Tobacco Control Programme.
The following activities’ have been undertaken on the existing social media platforms of the Ministry – Twitter and YouTube.
• Twitter - Tweets have been posed against tobacco use to create awareness regarding its ill effects. On World No Tobacco Day (31st May, 2015), copy of the print advertisement was tweeted, along with other tweets
• Hon’ble HFM has also tweeted regarding this on his personal handle. The same has been retweeted on the Ministry Twitter handle.
• YouTube: spots/short film has been posted on YouTube depicting harmful effects of tobacco use.
There is at present no ban on manufacturing of cigarettes. However manufacturing of Gutkha and other similar food products containing nicotine and tobacco have been prohibited under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 dated 1st August 2011, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
There is no ban on marketing of cigarettes and tobacco products in the country. However under the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA)and the Rules framed thereunder cigarettes and other tobacco products cannot be sold
a) within a radius of 100 yards of educational institutions,
b) to and by a person below the age of eighteen years and
c) through a vending machine.
(e): The Government of India has constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee of Secretaries, under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary, to review and develop a comprehensive policy on tobacco and tobacco related issues including increased taxation on tobacco.