Nearly nine lakh people die every year due to diseases attributable to tobacco use in India and the government has taken a series of measures to deter people from consuming tobacco, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
"As per the report of Tobacco Control in India (2004), nearly 8-9 lakh people die every year due to diseases attributable to tobacco use. According to an ICMR study 'Assessment of Burden of Disease due to Non-Communicable Diseases (2006)'...
"...the risk of disease attributable to tobacco use was 78 per cent for stroke, 65.6 per cent for tuberculosis, 85.2 per cent for heart disease, 52 per cent for acute myocardial infarction, 43 per cent for oesophageal cancer and 16 per cent for lung cancer, respectively," Union Health Minister J P Nadda said in a written reply.
He said as per the NCDIR-NCRP Report on 'Time Trends in Cancer Incidence Rate: 1982-2010', oral cancers of tongue in males showed a statistically significant increase in age-adjusted incidence rate along with annual percentage change in Chennai (1.35) and Delhi (1.73).
Mouth cancers in males showed a statistically significant increase in age-adjusted Incidence Rate in Bhopal (2.97), Delhi (2.93), and Mumbai (1.35).
He said the Government has taken a series of measures to deter people from consuming various tobacco products.
Those include enactment of the 'Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce and Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, (COTPA) 2003' and ratification of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
It also includes launch of the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) in the year 2007-08 to create awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption and reduce the production and supply of tobacco products amongst others and notification of rules to regulate depiction of tobacco products or their use in films and TV programmes.
The government has also notified rules on new pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packages apart from launching public awareness campaigns through a variety of media, the Minister said.
