Union Health Minister J P Nadda said, at present, there are nearly 275 million tobacco users in the country and close to one million lives are lost every year due to its direct or indirect use, while the cost to treat tobacco-related diseases is whopping USD 22 billion.
"The challenges faced by India in the realm of tobacco control are formidable, both in their number and in their complexity. However, despite our vast complexity, substantial investments for implementation of WHO-FCTC are slowly improving the situation," he said inaugurating the 7th session of Conference of Parties (COP7) to World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ((WHO-FCTC).
He also listed "strong" steps taken by the government for regulating smokeless tobacco products while prohibiting its production, sale and storage.
"We have, in coordination with the FCTC secretariat, set up the 'Global Knowledge Hub for Smokeless Tobacco' which will act as a global repository of knowledge related to smokeless tobacco," he said.
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The minister stressed that India has to go a long way in preventing millions of avoidable deaths resulting from the habit of tobacco use and tackle the challenges of emergence of new products and proliferation of existing products new areas, locally and internationally.
"For this to happen, we need multi-sectoral action along with integrated approaches to health programmes and health goals," he said.
Nadda said the target of achieving relative reduction of
tobacco use prevalence by 30 per cent is no longer a choice but a "necessity".
Terming WHO-FCTC as India's strongest tool to curb the emerging NCDs, he said the country cannot tackle them only by making more hospitals, more cancer institutes and producing more doctors and allied health professionals.
"The prevalence of tobacco use is still unacceptably high. Morbidity and mortality due to its use is also very high. There is a huge economic burden on the people and governments due to adverse health consequences of tobacco use. Certain parts of the world, including India, have a myriad of tobacco products.
"We cannot do this alone. Along with national will and resources, we also need the strength of international collaboration to mitigate the rising burden of health, social and economic costs of tobacco," Nadda said.
He said that the Supreme Court has directed all the states and Union Territories to file affidavits on compliance of the ban on manufacturing and sale of gutkha and pan masala with tobacco or nicotine.
He also referred to the recent development in which under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, an imposition of a penalty of seven years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs one lakh, for selling tobacco products to minors has been given.
"Our regulations require display of anti-tobacco health spots, disclaimer and messages, in films depicting tobacco use. We are one of the global leaders in this area, and since Indian films are watched across the globe, this messaging has great significance," he said.