Consumption
of products such as gudakhu, gul, mawa, khaini, zarda, maras, naswar
gutka, zarda pan masala and areca nut (supari) can cause cancerous as
well as non-cancerous diseases, the ministry said.
NEW DELHI: The Union health ministry on Tuesday endorsed a ban on the manufacture and sale of all forms of nicotine-laced pan masala, gutka and chewing tobacco, telling the Supreme Court that the economic cost of tobacco use far outweigh revenues from its sale.
The court was hearing appeals filed by gutka and tobacco manufacturers against the ban imposed on them in some states. "The total economic cost of tobacco use was reported as $1.7 billion (about Rs 10,540 crore at the current exchange rate), which was more than the annual government expenditure on tobacco control, and 16% more than the total tax revenue generated from tobacco," the health ministry said, citing a study by the National Sample Survey of India.
The direct medical cost for treating smokeless tobacco-related cancers and diseases stood at $285 million, while indirect morbidity costs, including costs of caregivers and work loss due to illness, amounted to $104 million , it said.
The ministry also cited a court-ordered study by the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare to emphasise the need for a total ban on manufacture and sale of such products to protect the citizens' right to health under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Consumption of products such as gudakhu, gul, mawa, khaini, zarda, maras, naswar gutka, zarda pan masala and areca nut (supari) can cause cancerous as well as non-cancerous diseases, the ministry said. The ministry claimed, through Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaisingh, that although the manufacture and sale of all forms of smokeless tobacco was made illegal under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the law was not being enforced strictly.
To the gutka lobby's argument that the industry should be regulated rather than banned, Jaisingh said there were over 3,095 chemical components in smokeless tobacco products, of which 28 were proven to be carcinogenic. The adverse health effects of smokeless tobacco far outweighed that of smoking, she added.
Quoting from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey — India fact sheet, Jaisingh said about a third of adults in the country use tobacco in some form or the other. Of these, 21% adults use only smokeless tobacco, while 9% smoke and 5 % indulge in both forms.
According to the ministry, the absence of a uniform ban on manufacture and sale of such products is marring the government's efforts — sale of gutka and pan masala is banned in all states and union territories, except Meghalaya and Lakshadweep.
Mizoram, Manipur, Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Maharashtra have also issued orders banning sale of zarda, khaini and other forms of chewing tobacco, but Gujarat has allowed their manufacture for export. The hearing of the case will continue on Wednesday.
The court was hearing appeals filed by gutka and tobacco manufacturers against the ban imposed on them in some states. "The total economic cost of tobacco use was reported as $1.7 billion (about Rs 10,540 crore at the current exchange rate), which was more than the annual government expenditure on tobacco control, and 16% more than the total tax revenue generated from tobacco," the health ministry said, citing a study by the National Sample Survey of India.
The direct medical cost for treating smokeless tobacco-related cancers and diseases stood at $285 million, while indirect morbidity costs, including costs of caregivers and work loss due to illness, amounted to $104 million , it said.
The ministry also cited a court-ordered study by the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare to emphasise the need for a total ban on manufacture and sale of such products to protect the citizens' right to health under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Consumption of products such as gudakhu, gul, mawa, khaini, zarda, maras, naswar gutka, zarda pan masala and areca nut (supari) can cause cancerous as well as non-cancerous diseases, the ministry said. The ministry claimed, through Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaisingh, that although the manufacture and sale of all forms of smokeless tobacco was made illegal under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the law was not being enforced strictly.
To the gutka lobby's argument that the industry should be regulated rather than banned, Jaisingh said there were over 3,095 chemical components in smokeless tobacco products, of which 28 were proven to be carcinogenic. The adverse health effects of smokeless tobacco far outweighed that of smoking, she added.
Quoting from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey — India fact sheet, Jaisingh said about a third of adults in the country use tobacco in some form or the other. Of these, 21% adults use only smokeless tobacco, while 9% smoke and 5 % indulge in both forms.
According to the ministry, the absence of a uniform ban on manufacture and sale of such products is marring the government's efforts — sale of gutka and pan masala is banned in all states and union territories, except Meghalaya and Lakshadweep.
Mizoram, Manipur, Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Maharashtra have also issued orders banning sale of zarda, khaini and other forms of chewing tobacco, but Gujarat has allowed their manufacture for export. The hearing of the case will continue on Wednesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment