The Tobacco Epidemic in India

  • May 31, 2024
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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The Tobacco Epidemic in India

Sub: Science and tech

Sub: Health

Impact of Tobacco in India:

Health ImpactEnvironmental ImpactEconomic Burden
  • Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of disease and death worldwide.
  • In India, nearly 26 crore people consumed tobacco as of 2016-2017.
  • Over 60 lakh people working in the tobacco industry are at risk of diseases from skin absorption of tobacco.
  • Tobacco use causes various health problems and negatively affects those who cultivate it.
  • Tobacco farming depletes soil nutrients rapidly, requiring more fertilizers and worsening soil quality.
  • Tobacco production contributes significantly to deforestation, with up to 5.4 kg of wood needed to process 1 kg of tobacco.
  • Tobacco production and consumption generate nearly 1.7 lakh tonnes of waste annually in India.
  • A 2021 study estimated that tobacco’s health impact cost India over ₹1.7 lakh crore in 2017-2018.
  • The Union Budget for Health in the same year was ₹48,000 crore.
  • Cleaning up tobacco waste costs approximately ₹6,367 crore annually, excluding soil erosion and deforestation costs.

Tobacco Use Surveys:

  • The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), and National Family Health Survey (NFHS) track tobacco use in India.
    • GYTS assesses tobacco use in students between the ages of 13 and 15 years and GATS and NFHS in people above 15 years of age.
  • These surveys show a general decline in tobacco use, except for an increase in tobacco use among women by 2.1% between 2015-2016 and NFHS 2019-2021.
  • No surveys have been conducted since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Law to control tobacco use in India

1. Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA)
  • It is the principal comprehensive law governing tobacco control in India.
  • Replaced the Cigarettes Act of 1975 (largely limited to statutory warnings- ‘Cigarette Smoking is Injurious to Health’ to be displayed on cigarette packs and advertisements. It did not include non-cigarettes).
  • The 2003 Act also included cigars, bidis, cheroots, pipe tobacco, hookah, chewing tobacco, pan masala, and gutka.
2.  Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2020
  • It was mandated that the specified health warning shall cover at least 85% of the principal display area of the package.
  • Of this, 60% shall cover pictorial health warning and 25% shall cover textual health warning.
3.  National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), 2008
  • Objective: To control tobacco consumption and minimize tobacco consumption related deaths
  • Activities: Training and capacity building; information, education, and communication (IEC) activities; tobacco control laws; reporting survey and surveillance and tobacco cessation.
4. mCessation Programme
  • It is an initiative using mobile technology for tobacco cessation.
  • India launched mCessation using text messages in 2016 as part of the government’s Digital India initiative.
    • It uses two-way messaging between the individual seeking to quit tobacco use and programme specialists providing them dynamic support.
5. Other important initiatives
  • Prevention and Control of Pollution Act of 1981- Recognized smoking as an air pollutant.
  • Cable Television Networks Amendment Act of 2000- Prohibited the transmission of advertisements on tobacco and liquor in India.
  • The Government of India has issued regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 which lay down that tobacco or nicotine cannot be used as ingredients in food products.
  • 31st May is observed as ‘World No Tobacco Day’ every year to spread awareness about the deadly effects of tobacco consumption.
6. International Convention
  • Governments adopt and implement the tobacco control provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
  • It is the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO.
  • It was adopted by the World Health Assembly on 21 May 2003 and entered into force on 27 February 2005.

Implementation Issues:

  • Many smokeless tobacco products do not comply with COTPA packaging guidelines.
  • Smuggled tobacco products are poorly regulated.
  • Fines for COTPA violations have not been updated since 2003.
  • Surrogate advertisements are used to indirectly promote tobacco, as seen in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Legislative Amendments:

  • Proposed amendments to COTPA in 2015 and 2020 aimed to regulate surrogate advertisements, include films and video games in advertisement definitions, and increase fines, but were not passed.
  • The NTCP’s effectiveness is questioned due to insufficient staffing, resources, and monitoring.

Tax Evasion and Affordability:

  • Excise duty on tobacco faces tax evasion through smuggling, illicit manufacturing, and counterfeiting.
  • Low tobacco taxes and increasing incomes have kept tobacco affordable.
  • A 2021 BMJ Tobacco Control study reported increasing affordability of cigarettes, bidis, and SLTs over the past decade.

Tax and Lobbying:

  • The tax burden on tobacco products in India is lower than the FCTC recommendation of at least 75%.
  • The tobacco industry argues high taxeslead to tax evasion, but weak governance and other factors are also significant.
  • Lobbying by the tobacco industry influences policy, with government officials often involved in the industry post-retirement.
    • The Central government holds a 7.8% stake in ITC Ltd., India’s largest tobacco company.

Source: TH

Science and tech The Tobacco Epidemic in India