{"id":60589,"date":"2025-08-24T13:23:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T07:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=60589"},"modified":"2025-08-25T11:33:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T06:03:12","slug":"vision-of-a-tobacco-free-india-strengthening-control-measures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/vision-of-a-tobacco-free-india-strengthening-control-measures\/","title":{"rendered":"Vision of a Tobacco-Free India &#8211; Strengthening Control Measures"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Vision of a Tobacco-Free India Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to 2017 estimates, the annual economic costs of all tobacco products for the population aged 35 years and above in India were estimated at <\/span><b>\u20b91,773.4 billion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1.04% of GDP).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is in addition to <\/span><b>\u20b9566.7 billion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (0.33% of GDP) in annual healthcare costs attributable to <\/span><b>second-hand smoking<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These costs include direct medical and non-medical expenditures, morbidity and mortality losses.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As tobacco use in India causes<\/span><b> enormous health and economic burden<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">there is an <\/span><b>urgent need to review and strengthen<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> India\u2019s tobacco control framework to realise the <\/span><b>vision of a tobacco-free India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Gaps in Existing Legislation<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>COTPA, 2003:\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, is a <\/span><b>stringent <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Act, its <\/span><b>implementation is poor<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in several Indian States.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The legislation also has <\/span><b>various other shortcomings<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that require urgent attention.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Inadequate coverage of Smokeless Tobacco (SLT):<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though SLT is <\/span><b>cheaper, culturally accepted<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and less stigmatized, it is <\/span><b>more carcinogenic<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> than smoked tobacco.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although laws like the <\/span><b>Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, contribute to its control, they are relatively weak and poorly enforced.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Surrogate and indirect advertising:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surrogate ads (especially for SLT) build brand recognition. Movies, OTT, and social media promote tobacco indirectly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though direct tobacco advertisements are banned in India, companies use similar packaging for mouth fresheners to build brand recognition and promote tobacco through <\/span><b>classical conditioning<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hence, <\/span><b>strict bans <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">need to be implemented on both surrogate advertisements and indirect promotion in the media.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Weak fiscal measures:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are <\/span><b>no direct provisions in COTPA <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for fiscal measures to curb tobacco use.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Raising excise taxes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the most effective way to reduce consumption, yet India\u2019s tobacco <\/span><b>taxation remains inadequate and uneven<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>For example<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the tax burden on bidis (the most consumed smoked product) is just 22%, and about 50% on cigarettes\u2014far below the WHO\u2019s recommended 75%.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the <\/span><b>GST <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rollout in 2017, minor tax hikes raised overall tobacco taxes by just 4%.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rising incomes and low taxation made tobacco more affordable in India, also resulting in <\/span><b>missed revenue and health opportunities.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Ineffective warning labels:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although tobacco warning labels are updated every two years, <\/span><b>there is limited evidence on their effectiveness <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in preventing tobacco use.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Unlike many European countries<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that use packaging to educate users about a range of tobacco-related harms, India\u2019s warnings rely mainly on <\/span><b>fear-based messaging<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (oral cancer, early death).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>COTPA rules<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (mandates 85% health warnings on tobacco packs) should mandate regular evaluation of tobacco warning labels.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India should also adopt <\/span><b>plain packaging<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to further reduce the appeal and use of tobacco.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Poor implementation of e-cigarette ban:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though India is one of the few countries to ban e-cigarettes, poor implementation of the <\/span><b>Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA) 2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has also resulted in an increasing threat of e-cigarettes to public health in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>For example<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, e-cigarettes are accessible online, making them <\/span><b>more accessible<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to adolescents.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Need for a Holistic Approach<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Limitations of current National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP):<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NTCP focuses on awareness and COTPA enforcement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>It ignores social determinants<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like poverty, unemployment, stress, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As compared to a large user base,<\/span><b> cessation clinics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have limited reach.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Weaknesses in ToFEI (Tobacco Free Education Institute):<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It currently promotes awareness in schools through posters and biannual activities, but l<\/span><b>acks the scientific rigour<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> needed for effective tobacco control.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In contrast, the U.S.\u2019s national public health agency, the <\/span><b>Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> recommends comprehensive school-based strategies in the U.S., including\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Enforcing tobacco-free policies,\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Integrating prevention education<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from kindergarten to grade 12,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Training teachers, involving families, supporting cessation for students and staff, and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Regularly evaluating programmes.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Towards Better Regulation and Control<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Challenge faced by public health researchers: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tobacco industry has access to its real-time sales data to adapt sales strategies while public health researchers are unaware of the most recent trends in tobacco consumption.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Policy recommendations:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adopt <\/span><b>\u2018Tobacco Endgame\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> strategy through multi-ministry (Education, Finance, Health, Law, Social Justice, Commerce, Information &amp; Broadcasting, Consumer Affairs) <\/span><b>collaboration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Greater investment in research institutions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> not only for developing and implementing control measures but also for producing regularly updated, robust data.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Independent oversight body<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to monitor and expose industry interference.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stronger use of demand-side (tax, awareness, cessation) and supply-side (regulation, enforcement) measures.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India needs a<\/span><b> comprehensive, multipronged strategy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to reduce tobacco burden.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Combining stringent laws, higher taxation, effective awareness, social support, school-based interventions, and independent oversight is crucial.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sustained collaboration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between policymakers, researchers, and implementers is essential to realise the vision of a tobacco-free India.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/health\/tobacco-control-laws-are-out-of-step-with-smokeless-tobacco\/article69951016.ece#:~:text=Gaps%20in%20the%20law,shortcomings%20that%20require%20urgent%20attention.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>TH<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is an urgent need to review and strengthen India\u2019s tobacco control framework to realise the vision of a tobacco-free India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":60643,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,22,59,2322],"class_list":{"0":"post-60589","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","10":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","11":"tag-vision-of-a-tobacco-free-india","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}