Par panel asks govt to promote tobacco cessation projects

A Parliamentary panel has termed as "negligible" and "meaningless" the government's spending on tobacco de-addiction programme and asked the Centre to make concerted efforts to promote tobacco cessation projects instead of just focusing on stringent regulatory measures.
The Committee on Subordinate Legislations, in its report, said that despite claims of the Union Health Ministry, a very "meagre" amount has been allocated to the district and state tobacco control cells.
Terming it as "worrying", the panel strongly recommended that the government, instead of just focusing on stringent regulatory measures, should also make concerted efforts on promoting its tobacco cessation projects...So as to assist the one-third of the tobacco addicted population of the country to come out of this habit." The panel, chaired by MP Dilip Gandhi, had tabled its report in Lok Sabha yesterday.

The Committee said 34.6 per cent of adults in the country were using tobacco in some form or the other.
Despite claims of the Union Health Ministry, the Committee found that a meagre amount of Rs 13.48 lakh was allocated for District Tobacco Control Plan and Rs 7.52 lakh for State Tobacco Control Cells under the National Tobacco Control Programme for the 11th Five Year Plan period. The allocation was marginally increased to Rs 47.50 lakh and Rs 40 lakh respectively during the 12th Five Year Plan.
"The committee finds this effort just negligible and meaningless as it has failed to create any visible impact," it said.

While on the one hand the Ministry is claiming that tobacco-related diseases cost the Indian economy over Rs 1,04,500 crore in 2011, on the other, the budgeting of such meagre amounts on cessation programmes "cast doubts" about the seriousness of the government in really tackling the menace of tobacco use among adults, the panel said.
"Moreover, the Ministry (Health) has not been able to estimate the number of people who have quit tobacco consumption after availing the tobacco cessation services provided by the government," the committee said.