India Mulls Tobacco Bill (fwd)

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

 Tuesday, March 16, 1999 
 Hindu Online
  Bill to reduce tobacco use in offing 

 Date: 16-03-1999 :: Pg: 08 :: Col: c 

 By Our Special Correspondent 

 NEW DELHI, March 15. 

 The Union Health Minister, Mr. Dalit Ezhilmalai, today assured Parliament
that a
 proposal to bring forward a comprehensive legislation to reduce the use of
tobacco
 and tobacco products in the country is under the active consideration of the
 Government. 

 But, at the same time, he stated that a policy decision on a ban on chewing
tobacco
 and `gutka', specifically, was, however, yet to be taken. It would be
arrived at after
 taking into consideration the various implications of such a move,
including the
 impact on farmers and workers engaged in tobacco industry. An inter-ministerial
 meeting with ministries 

 concerned had been held in this regard, he added. 

 Replying to a question in Lok Sabha, he also said available medical literature
 showed that the risk of developing oral cancer was significantly higher among
 tobacco chewers than smokers and that it was more in the case of women than
 men. 

 In the case of tobacco chewing, the risk of developing oral cancer was 30 times
 higher among women and 3.4 to 10.2 times among men, as compared to
 non-tobacco users. The risks with regard to smokers, on the other hand, was 3.5
 times in the case of women and 1.4 to 3.5 times in the case of men, again as
 compared to non-tobacco users, he noted. 

 In reply to another query, Mr. Ezhilmalai said the Government had initiated
steps to
 enact a legislation to prohibit unauthorised institutions from awarding
degrees in
 modern medicine and the Indian systems of medicine and to ban practice by
 unqualified persons in these systems. 

 The Union Health Minister also informed the House that a comprehensive
 legislation had been prepared for amending the rules under the Drugs and
Cosmetic
 Act, dealing with licensing requirements of blood banks. This follows a Supreme
 Court direction that the Government should consider the advisability of a
separate
 legislation for collection, storage, testing and transportation of blood
and its
 components. A draft notification of the proposed legislation would be sent for
 publication shortly, he said.