Activists put up 'Wall of shame' for tobacco violators

Despite a ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorships for tobacco, companies are still using sophisticated and covert means to push their products, according to anti-tobacco campaigners who recently put up a "wall of shame" - a photo exhibition that names violators.
Photos of Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship (TAPS) violations collated from 13 high tobacco use states in the country - Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal- are up for display by NGO HRIDAY here.
The theme of this year's World No Tobacco Day, which falls today is the banning of TAPS.

A consultation recently conducted by the NGO in collaboration with pan-India partners under guidance of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) deliberated on development of national guidelines for a ban on TAPS and effective enforcement of Section 5 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) - the Indian tobacco control law, which prohibits any form of direct or indirect TAPS.
The tobacco problem in developing countries like India is more complex and difficult compared to other parts of the world, say activists.
India is the second largest producer of tobacco worldwide and ranks fourth in total tobacco consumption.

"Tobacco and its use are not new to our culture. It is easily accessible and consumed in rural India in various forms - smoking, chewable and snuff - like cheaper cigarette versions like beedis, betel leaves, flavored powder (pan masala and gutka), hookah etc. And is closely related with rituals and social status," says Nikunj Sharma, communication officer, HRIDAY.
Families already grappling with scant resources are pushed further into extreme poverty due to spending on tobacco products or on treating tobacco-related diseases, he says.