Oppn to larger warning against tobacco use grows

The tobacco industry’s opposition to bigger health warnings on cigarette and bidi packs appears to be gaining ground with the health ministry receiving 13 petitions against the move while no hospital has come forward in support of the plan.

Faced with a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court, the ministry is yet to decide on when to introduce larger warning symbols, covering 85 per cent of the display area. The Lok Sabha Committee on Subordinate Legislation, which was reviewing the anti-tobacco rules is yet to submit its final report to the House. Initially, the opposition was within the tobacco industry. It has now spread to CII and ASSOCHAM, which approached the health ministry opposing the move. CPM Rajya Sabha member and trade union leader Tapan Sen too expressed his concern about the fate of bidi industry workers.

Surprisingly, none of the big hospitals like All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh; Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai or Christian Medical College, Vellore that treat lakhs of  patients suffering from tobacco-related diseases, petitioned the ministry in support of the move. The Indian Council of Medical Research too is silent.

Barring an institute under the Public Health Foundation of India, supporting letters are mostly from non-governmental organisation or Geneva-based health agencies.

Out of the 39 petitions – 26 are for and 13 are against bigger pictorial warnings; the only one from a clinical establishment is from St Ann's Hospital, Andhra Pradesh, official sources said. Following the House panel's recommendations, the health ministry kept its plan of introducing a new set of pictorial warnings covering 85 per cent of the display area, in abeyance.

In addition, the health ministry made it clear that there is no proposal from the department of revenue to impose equal taxes (central excise) on cigarettes and bidis, suggesting bidi would continue to be available at a lower price.