Issue 9

Tobacco Control in India

Fortnightly News Summary 3-16 January 2009

NATIONAL HEADLINES
♦ Tobacco FDI attracts global lobby
International governments and global tobacco players
from Switzerland, Japan and the US have come together
to lobby against a government move to ban Foreign Direct
Investment in tobacco. India currently allows up to 100 per
cent FDI in this sector, but the health ministry has moved
a draft note for the cabinet to ban foreign investment in
this sector. This move is likely to re-focus attention on a
proposal from Japan Tobacco International (JTIL), which
has applied to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board to
raise its stake in its Indian venture from 50 to 74 per cent.
(Source: Business Standard: 15 January 2009)
♦ Ramadoss to seek increase in anti-tobacco
campaign budget
Union Health Minster Anbumani Ramadoss today said his
ministry will seek an increase in budgetary allocation for
the anti-tobacco campaign and plans to use part of cess
collected from tobacco sales for the purpose. The
campaign would involve a lot more enforcers in the form
of members of parliament, MLAs, panchayats, teachers,
among others to drive the no-smoking rule apart from
punitive measures, the minister said while unveiling an
anti-tobacco rally at Bangalore Medical College here.
(Source: Business Standard: 6 January 2009)
♦ Beedi makers’ plea made us defer photo pictorial
warning scheme: govt
The pressure mounted by beedi industry and other
interested parties on the Union Health Ministry seems to
be working as the government has linked its decision to
defer implementation of the proposed depiction of pictorial
warnings on tobacco products to their pleas. (Source: Zee
News: 10 January 2009)
♦ Ban on smoking in public places goes up in smoke
The ambitious ban on smoking in public places has failed
to take off in a majority of states. Ever since October 2,
when the ban formally came into force, only eight
states/UTs have started imposing fines on those caught
violating the law. Repeated reminders by the Union health
ministry to large states like West Bengal and Maharashtra
to implement the ban in toto have fallen on deaf ears.
(Source: The Times of India: 31 December 2008)
STATE HEADLINES, Andhra Pradesh
♦ Tobacco growers told to regulate crop size
Amid the growing euphoria over the record remunerative
prices offered for Tobacco, Tobacco Board Chairman J.
Suresh Babu has asked tobacco growers in Andhra
Pradesh and Karnataka to regulate the crop size and peg
at 272 million kg for current year. He reminded that the
Tobacco Board had increased the crop size to 170 million
kg in Andhra and 100 million kg in Karnataka to absorb
the excess and unauthorised crop, while pointing out that
it would not be possible to increase the crop size any
more. (Source: The Hindu, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh: 3 January 2009)
♦ Tobacco players back in action
Murky politics among the tobacco traders' lobby has
brought the auctions in Karnataka to a grinding halt.
Though the prices soared to an alarming level, the
Tobacco Board did not intervene to avoid antagonising the
farmers, averred highly-placed sources. According to
insiders in the board, a giant cigarette manufacturer has
unleashed the price war on the Mysore floors with a view
to cornering other competitors. "It is an open secret that
the lead purchaser has kicked off the murky game to
make the others either face huge losses by picking up
stocks at high rates or run away from the scene,"
confirmed a senior board official here. (Source: The Times of
India, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh: 3 January 2009)
♦ Tobacco traders buy at ‘unrealistic’ prices
Tobacco auctions that ended on a high price band for all
grades in Andhra Pradesh reached unrealistic levels in
Karnataka auctions crossing the unsustainable levels of
Rs.152.30 per kg for the best grade, but farmers closed
auction when the price came down by just Rs. 3 on
Tuesday. World’s best tobacco from Brazil today
commands a price of 6 dollars and the filler grade from
India had also reached 5.1 dollars and some deals
freezed at 4.6 dollars at a time when dollar was Rs.50.
(Source: The Hindu, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh: 1January 2009)

♦ Smoking norms has no meaning in UP

Even after the imposition of the Anti Smoking Act,
smoking was found to be rampant in many government /
private offices and other public places in Lucknow, the
capital city of Uttar Pradesh. (Source: Dainik Jagran: 26
December 2008)

♦ After months of smoking ban, Chhattisgarh yet to

file a case
Chhattisgarh police, yet to register a maiden case against
a smoker even after three months of ban on smoking in
public places, say they have more serious jobs in hand in
the Maoist insurgency-hit state.Top officers at the police
headquarters here said the state police, having a strength
of nearly 40,000 personnel for nearly 20.08 million
population, were still looking for the first case against a
smoker. (Source: IANS: 16 December 2008)

Provided by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use