27.5 crore Indians consume tobacco

Around 35 per cent adults in India consume tobacco in some form or the other while 30 per cent men in urban areas consume alcohol, Lok Sabha was informed today.
"Ministry of Health and Family Welfare conducted the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS 2010) in the age group of 15 years and above to monitor adult tobacco use and track key tobacco control indicators.
"As per GATS estimates, about 35 per cent of the adults in India consume tobacco in some form or the other," Union Health Minister J P Nadda said in a written reply.
He said that that estimated number of tobacco users in India is 27.5 crore with 16.37 crore users of only smokeless tobacco, 6.9 crore only smokers and 4.23 crore users of both smoking and non-smoking tobacco.

"The prevalence of overall tobacco use among males is 48 per cent and that among females is 20 per cent. Among both males and females, the prevalence of tobacco use is higher in rural than urban areas.
"More than half of the rural males (52 per cent) and 24 per cent of rural females use tobacco compared to 38 per cent of urban males and 12 per cent of urban females," Nadda said.

He said that as per the third round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), 2005-06, 30.9 per cent men aged 15-49 years in urban areas and 32.5 per cent in rural areas drink alcohol. 0.6 per cent women aged 15-49 years in urban areas and 3.0 per cent in rural areas consume alcohol, he said.

To discourage tobacco consumption, the government has taken several measures including enactment of Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and regulation of trade and commerce, production, supply and distribution) Act, (COPTA) 2003.
India has also done the ratification of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, launching of national tobacco control programme, notification of rules to regulate depiction of tobacco products or their use in films and TV programmes, notification of rules on new pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packages and others.
Nadda said that his Ministry operates a limited drug de-addiction programme under which it supports drug dependence treatment centres in select central government hospitals and institutions in NE states.