The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement the proposed larger pictorial warnings on tobacco products keeping in line with its commitments with WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
“In India, nearly a million deaths occur every year due to tobacco related diseases. Tobacco is not only a major risk factor contributing to the deaths related to non-communicable diseases it also affects the fiscal and economic health of the country,” UN World Health Organisation’s Director-General Margaret Chan said in her letter to the Prime Minister
“The tobacco industry will undoubtedly raise unfounded concerns about impact on economic trade especially loss of livelihood to farmers and bidi rollers but evidence shows that tobacco producers are trapped in a cycle of exploitation and poverty,” the letter said further.