World No Tobacco Day being observed across the world on May 31, various awareness programmes have been held across the Haridwar district on Thursday to make the people aware of the harms caused by tobacco consumption. Gayatri Parivar organised such a programme at Shantikunj, its headquarters, from where a huge awareness rally was taken out. After covering several residential areas the rally ended at Samadhi Sthal.
Speaking to The Pioneer, head of All World Gayatri Parivar Dr Pranav Pandya said, “Freedom from addiction has been one of the main themes of the movements being staged by Gayatri Parivar. We work across the country all the year round to help the people rid of various addictions. Recently Gayatri Parivar organised a programme in lucknow to help Uttar Pradesh getting free from the evil of smoking.”
The spokesperson of Shantikunj said that human chains were formed at 51 places across Madhya Pradesh, including Bhopal, Indore and Ujjain, to mark the day. In Uttar Pradesh, Yagnas were held at over 200 places to raise awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco consumption, he added.
As per a study published by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, around 31% of the people of Uttarakhand consume tobacco in one form or the other, a figure which is the highest among the northern States.
The district Malaria officer Gurnam Singh said that though the number of females actively smoking is quite less in the state as compared to the male- 5.8% against 43.9%- the females and the children bear the maximum brunt of the tobacco menace by way of passive smoking. “It is found that women and children are four times more vulnerable to lung diseases caused by tobacco than men. Tobacco chewing by the mother affects the foetus in the womb. Unsafe chullahs are another reason for the spike in lung-related diseases among the rural women. They perforce inhale more smoke than what a regular smoker produces through smoking 10 cigarettes,” he added.
Asked about how the tobacco menace can be mitigated, Acharya Bal Krishna of Patanjali Yog Peeth said that they are now working on certain herbal combinations which would enable the tobacco addicts to quit. “It would be a combination of various herbs which gives one the feeling of tobacco munching without affecting his health negatively,” he added.