NEW DELHI: The Centre’s permission to open liquor and paan shops in the third phase of the nationwide lockdown, and the states' alacrity in allowing their sale doesn’t bode well for India’s COVID fight, according to anti-tobacco campaigners.
So far, 175-plus districts and 22 states, including Delhi, have banned the use of smokeless tobacco products and spitting in public places. Yet they hastily allowed the sale of liquor and smokeless tobacco products, pointed out Pranay Lal, Senior Technical Advisor in The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, and Deepak Mishra, Executive Director of the NGO SEEDS (Socio Economic and Educational Development Society).
The health ministry issued an advisory on April 10 prohibiting smokeless tobacco and spitting in public spaces. The ICMR, too, in April issued an appeal to the public not to consume tobacco products as it increases the production of saliva followed by a strong urge to spit. But disappointingly, the MHA gave the go-ahead for reopening of tobacco and liquor vends, said Mishra and Lal.
All’s not lost, however, they said. Strict enforcement of the ban on sale of tobacco products and spitting could bring tangible gains in reducing Covid transmission and help achieve PM Modi’s mission to eradicate TB by 2025, well ahead of the target of 2030, said Mishra and Lal.
The ban on smokeless tobacco can have wider collateral benefits for public health beyond the current Covid-19 crisis, said Dr Kaushal Kishore, a medical doctor-turned IAS officer, currently serving as Additional Secretary, Department of Health, Bihar.