Skip to content Skip to navigation

Warning on tobacco packs

By AT News |

38,740 signatures of people across the country including Assam, who strongly support the implementation of new and larger health warnings on tobacco packages in India on April 1, has been submitted to Shri J. P. Nadda Hon’ble Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare on March 18. 

The signatures were collected in an online and offline petition started by Sunita Tomar, an oral cancer survivor. 

The new warnings reaffirm Indian global leadership, projecting the country into one of the first positions for the largest tobacco health warnings in the world. Countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, have taken the cue from India and have dramatically increased the size of pictorial warnings on tobacco packages.“India has demonstrated global leadership with its new 85% pictorial health warnings. It is essential that these warnings appear on tobacco packages as soon as possible. A picture says a thousand words. Picture warnings are especially important for those who cannot read,” said Rob Cunningham – Senior Policy Analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society – author of the report Cigarette Package Health Warnings.  

International studies demonstrate that larger, pictorial warning on tobacco packages are effective way to INFORM users about the dangers of tobacco dependence; CONVINCE youth not to start; MOTIVATE users to quit and COUNTER tobacco industry efforts to use packages as marketing tools. Effective pictorial warning increase knowledge about risks associated with smoking and can decrease intentions to smoke among adolescents persuade smokers to quit, and keep ex-smokers from starting again. Pictorial warning have a greater impact than text-only labels and can be recognized by low-literacy audiences and children — two vulnerable population groups.

A recent MoHFW-WHO supported PHFI study, estimated that the total economic costs attributable to tobacco use from all diseases in India in the year 2011 amounted to a staggering Rs 1, 04,500 crores — 12% more than the combined state and central government expenditure on health care in the same year.

India has 12 crore tobacco users, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2009-2010, which means every ninth Indian consumes tobacco. Tobacco related diseases kills about 2500 Indians daily and over 10 lakh Indians every year. It is estimated that approximately 5500 children, some as young as 8 years old, start consuming tobacco daily.

 

Add new comment

Random Stories

Ultras nabbed

14 Sep 2009 - 1:36pm | Bikash Das
Kamalpur police today apprehended two ULFA militants namely Hemanta Kalita and Bakul Boro. Police has recovered some ULFA related documents from their possession. In another incident, Baihata...

Assam Janasanyog minister meets students at JNV Kalaigaon

30 Apr 2012 - 12:48am | Jayanta Kumar Das
Basanta Das,Minister of State (Ind),Janasanyog and Fishery of Assam ,Thaneswar Malakar,DC,Udalguri and Mukunda Ram Choudhury,MLA,Kalaigaon met students,teachers and guardians of Jawahar Novodaya...

Akhil discharged from GMCH

28 Mar 2014 - 2:10pm | AT News
Police on Friday suddenly took away Akhil Gogoi from Guwahati Medical College Hospital hours after he was rushed to it following the complaint of back ache.“He was taken away through a special gate...

Me Dam Me Phi in Delhi

12 Feb 2017 - 9:58am | AT News
The Assamese community in Delhi and the national capital region is observing me-dam-me-phi on Sunday seeking divine help from the ancestors to overcome all odds.The day long celebration began with...

Other Contents by Author

Churachandpur: NGO Extends Support to Family of Late David Hmar

Chuachandpur's Rural Women Upliftment Society (RWUS) has stepped forward to provide assistance and relief to the grief-stricken family of Late David Hmar, who tragically lost his life on July 2, 2023. David was brutally beheaded by an armed mob during an attack on his village, Chinglangmei, located in the Samulamlan Block of Lamka. The untimely demise of David has left his family devastated, especially considering their already precarious financial situation. David hails from an impoverished family, where his father is afflicted with Hemiparesis, a condition that has rendered him unable to work and provide for the family. As the sole breadwinner, David worked on a small farm, struggling...

Indigenous Communities and Civil Society Unite for Climate Action at Assam Community Consultation

 In a bid to shape the future of climate action, indigenous communities and local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Assam joined forces on June 30, 2023, for a community consultation on COP28, the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Held at Rajputana Login, Jorhat, this event provided a vital platform for communities to express their concerns, contributions, and recommendations regarding the upcoming critical climate conference. The consultation, organized by the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) and supported by various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), aimed to ensure that community...

IIT Roorkee Researchers Unveil the Humming of Our Universe Through Low-Frequency Gravitational Waves

IIT Roorkee, in collaboration with astronomers from India, Japan, and Europe, has made a significant breakthrough in the study of gravitational waves. An international team of astronomers has recently published their findings in the Astronomy and Astrophysics journal, providing evidence of ultra-low frequency gravitational waves and shedding light on the humming of our universe. Using some of the world's most sensitive radio telescopes, including India's largest telescope, uGMRT, the team monitored pulsars, which are rapidly rotating neutron stars, to detect these waves. The pulsars, acting as cosmic clocks, emitted radio beams that were analyzed for changes in arrival times caused by...

Shameful act by Assam police is a blot to the Government: TMC

Assam TMC chief and AITC national spokesperson Ripun Bora on Thursday strongly condemned the shocking incident reported from Ghograpara Police Station in Nalbari district where an underage girl in lock up was stripped by a police officer and being photographed. Bora alleged that the actions of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma to empower Assam Police personnel against controlling crime resulted in extreme Police Raaj in the state. The shameful incident which happened at Ghograpar Police Station on the unfortunate night of June 21 is reported by the girl on June 26 at Nalbari district head police station, however no action was taken on that complaint till 28th June. Commenting on this, Ripun Bora...

Tata Institute of Social Sciences celebrates 10th Convocation ceremony

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati Off-Campus celebrated its 10th Convocation ceremony on June 23, 2023. The event was held at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre Auditorium, Guwahati and was graced by the presence of Prof. Manorama Sharma, Professor (Retd.), Dept. of History, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), who served as the Chief Guest. The Director of the Institute, Prof. Shalini Bharat and Officiating Registrar, Prof. Sasmita Palo were also present at the ceremony. During the convocation ceremony, 154 students who graduated in the year 2023 were awarded their degrees. One student was conferred with a PhD degree in Social Sciences while 112 students obtained their...

State TMC dead opposed to delimitation draft

The TMC Assam unit has opposed the draft delimitation proposal published by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday evening. The proposal is prepared based on the 2001 census, which the TMC claims is not correct as there has been a change in the population pattern in the state. Assam TMC chief Ripun Bora has alleged that the ECI is following the dictates of the BJP party and that the delimitation process on such short notice reflects the assurance of electoral gains through voter division. Bora also stated that the delimitation cannot be accepted without the completion of proper NRC and that TMC has been demanding delimitation on the latest census. The TMC has rejected the draft...

Appeal to stop violence in Manipur

We are deeply concerned about the continuing ethnic violence in Manipur between the Meitei community and the tribal Kuki and Zo communities. We demand an immediate halt to this violence that is causing large scale disruption of lives, livelihoods and properties and unleashing even more terror among people. The immediate trigger to this violence was an April 2023 Manipur High Court order advising the state government to grant the Meitei community (members of which now have either OBC or in some cases SC status) the status of Scheduled Tribe. Thereby, the Meitei community would have access to land that is currently reserved for tribal communities. Several spates of violence broke...

Himanta must step down as NEDA convenor: Ripun Bora

Assam TMC chief Ripun Bora on Thursday in a couple of tweets expressed his angst for the inaction of the Central Government in not taking any steps to investigate into the alleged links between Assam CM Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP leader Ram Madhav with terrorist outfit. In a tweet, Bora questions the credibility of the Government of India as it has been using central agencies like CBI & ED against opposition leaders all the time. Then why is GOI silent on the allegations of Assam CM Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma being involved with Kuki militants in the Manipur election in 2017? Bora demanded a NIA probe into the allegations and arrest of Sarma under NSA Act. Meanwhile, he also stated...

Support Relief Efforts in Manipur

Here's an appeal for donations for the relief effort currently being undertaken by  by Rural Women Upiftment Society, Manipur. Online donations can be made to the organisation through at https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-rural-women-upliftment-society . Dear friends, The devastating ethnic violence and arson that unfolded in Manipur since May 3rd, 2023, have left a trail of destruction, claiming the lives of over 100 people, injuring more than 5,000, and displacing an estimated 70,000 individuals. Numerous homes, villages, and churches have been reduced to ashes, leaving families without shelter or land to return to. The situation is dire and urgent...

Balasore train accident: why Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw must resign?

In a devastating incident on 2 June 2023, three trains collided near the city of Balasore in Odisha, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life and a large number of injuries. The collision involved the 12841 Coromandel Express, the 12864 SMVT Bengaluru–Howrah SF Express, and a goods train near the Bahanaga Bazar railway station. The incident has sent shockwaves throughout the country, and questions are being raised about the safety measures in place within the Indian Railways. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has previously published an audit report exposing the neglect of crucial rail safety by the Modi government and Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The report revealed...