GREATER NOIDA, Nov 7 - Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda today said that there is a huge economic burden on the country�s government as well as its people due to adverse health conditions caused by tobacco use.
The minister also expressed concern on the increased use of tobacco by children and teenagers in India and hoped that the deterrents imposed through the Juvenile Justice Act would go a long way in curbing the trend.
Nadda was speaking at the Seventh Conference of the Parties (CoP7) of the WHO�s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) � the world�s first public health treaty � that began here today.
�The challenges faced by India in the realm of tobacco control are formidable, both in numbers and complexities. However, despite the vast complexities, substantial investment in the implementation of the WHO�s FCTC, which was ratified by India in 2014, is paying dividends,� the Union Minister said speaking at the inaugural session of the CoP7 which is being attended by representatives of more than 180 countries.
�Deaths due to tobacco use, in one form or the other, is still unacceptably high and there is still a long way to go as far as preventing avoidable deaths due to adverse effects of tobacco is concerned,� the Union Minister stated.
�In many countries, including India, tobacco use is part of the social fabric, which is one of the reasons for its increased use. We cannot fight the problem and a global coalition is what is needed,� Nadda pointed out.
He said that the year 2016 is the landmark year for tobacco control in India as it has implemented the 85 per cent pictorial warning on tobacco products from April this year.
