The Nisha Mukti Yuva Sankalp (NMYS) on Thursday slammed the State Government for not implementation of ghutka ban decision announced on January 1, 2013.
Members of the NMYS also protested the non implementation of the decision in an innovative way by organising a ‘condolence’ rally only to term the decision as dead. The members quoting a WHO report lamented that while tobacco kills around 2,500 Indians a day, a number which is bigger than the deaths caused by HIV/AIDS and accidents put together, the State Government has failed to make the city and the State tobacco free.
Further informing that India has become the capital of mouth cancer of the world and the average of tobacco consumption in Odisha is much higher than the national average, the members demanded that the ‘no tobacco decision be enforced in true letter and spirit soon. It apprehended that Odisha would soon become a “Cancer State” if adequate steps are not taken to check massive tobacco consumption.
Among others, Ratnakar Sahoo, Sagarika Dash, Debahari Reddy, Bikram Nayak, Md Imran Ali, Haraparasad Mohapatra, Satyabrata Jena, Ramakrushna Dakua, Digprava Panda, Jayadev Jena and Prahlad Sinha participated in the rally.