Bangalore, March 23 (IANS) Research facility Institute of Public Health has asked political parties to include in their manifestos a complete ban on tobacco products, including cigarettes, bidis and chewing tobacco.
"We have urged all political parties to include a ban on tobacco products in their manifestos for the Lok Sabha polls and fulfill the assurance when elected to power," the institute's assistant director Upendra Bhojani told IANS here Sunday.
The demand list includes strict enforcement of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, adopting a policy and a code of conduct as suggested in the UN treaty, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control signed by India, and working towards raising taxes on tobacco products in Karnataka.
"The elections are not only about fighting corruption and inflation, but also health hazards affecting the society. Public health should be a concern and tobacco control is a major issue confronting all of us," Bhojani said.
Calling for a tobacco-free society, he said rampant use of tobacco products for smoking or chewing was posing a major public health threat across India.
A recent study by the institute found that about 40 percent of men and 16 percent of women consume tobacco products across Karnataka regularly, resulting in life-threatening diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular or respiratory illness.
"Over a lakh adults die every year in our country due to tobacco-related illnesses. Even non-consumers (37 percent) get exposed to people smoking cigarettes or bidis and suffer grave health hazards," institute spokesman S. Praveen Rao said.
The Congress governments of Punjab and Chhattisgarh have also announced financial assistance for
Team India will start the T20 series in Wellington on 18 November on a New Zealand tour. All-roun
Mumbai, March 3 (IANS) Beef, the popular red meat, was on Tuesday banned in Maharashtra with pr
CBI registers 39th FIR in coal allocation case
New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) The CBI on Thursday registered a fresh case in its ongoing probe int
Entire North India including Delhi is in the grip of severe cold and cold waves. At this time Del
State Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya reached Vakalatkhana on Friday and sought the co
Forced marriage with Sikh woman after kidnapping in Pakistan, Jaishankar takes cognizance
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the Indian government has taken up the incident
Sonu Sood, the star of Bollywood and South films, came forward as a messiah for the needy during
Mumbai. Actor Sushant Singh Rajput hanged himself in his flat in Mumbai. Everyone is shocked at S
Vehicle sales are picking up again in India?
Ashwin Arya, living in Betul, Madhya Pradesh, recently bought a new Toyota Glanza vehicle for his