The Union Health Ministry’s proposal to ban smoking in work places is a welcome step. Under the new rules, besides bars and restaurants, places of work will be declared smoke-free in 3 to 4 months and those found flouting the law will have to face stern punishment. The proposed ban could curtail smoking in the home as well. Domestic help who have had to endure cigarette smoke when their employers light up can now hope to work in a smoke-free environment. They will not have to endure passive smoking thanks to the new rules. But they will have to be made aware of their rights under the new rules. However, whether they will be able to exercise the right to work in a smoke-free environment without fear of dismissal from the job remains to be seen. The Health Ministry has done well to take forward its anti-smoking campaign. By making work places and hotels smoke-free, it is acting to protect the health of non-smokers from the deadly effects of passive smoking. At least a million Indians die of cancer related to tobacco use. The anti-smoking campaign is aimed at reducing these numbers.

However, the anti-smoking campaign will have to fight the pressure it is coming under from vested interests. India is the third largest producer of tobacco leaves. The tobacco industry produces around 95 billion cigarettes and 850 billion beedis every year. Since the industry stands to lose much as the smoking ban gains ground, it has been using every trick in the book to get the government to reverse steps it has taken to make the smoking ban a reality. But the Health Ministry is under pressure from within the government as well. The government has called off its proposal to display a picture of skull and bones on tobacco products and to carry warnings covering half the product’s package. The anti-smoking campaign will have to guard against such efforts to defeat the campaign.

Banning smoking is just a small part of the anti-tobacco campaign. There are a large number of tobacco chewers in India. Most oral cancers have been attributed to tobacco chewing. The tobacco chewing habit is said to be growing at a rate of around 10 per cent per year. The government needs to take effective steps to tackle this form of tobacco use as well. Apart from the government initiative, educational and awareness campaigns are also required to wean people, especially school children and the youth, away from this habit.