The Hindu : New Delhi News : Govt. committed to making Capital smoke-free by 2010, says Ramadoss

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Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008
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Govt. committed to making Capital smoke-free by 2010, says Ramadoss

Staff Reporter

— Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

“NO SMOKING”: Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss (right) with representatives of Delhi University Students’ Union after a ‘nukkad natak’ on a smoke-free campus on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: Emphasising the need to strictly implement anti-tobacco laws, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday said the country should be not only smoke-free but also comprehensively tobacco-free.

Addressing a gathering of students at Delhi University, Dr. Ramadoss reiterated the United Progressive Alliance Government’s decision to completely ban smoking in all buildings — public or private.

Pointing to Chandigarh’s decision to go smoke-free, the Health Minister said Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had committed herself to making Delhi smoke-free before the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Expressing concern over smoking scenes in films, Dr. Ramadoss said he was not against movies as such, but when film stars are brand ambassador for health programmes like the National Rural Health Mission and the anti-polio campaign, they should avoid smoking on the big screen. “This is especially important when movies contribute to almost 52 per cent of promotion of the killer habit,” he argued.

Citing examples of Irish pubs and French cafes, the Health Minister said he was confident that with a strong will and general awareness, it was possible to eliminate deep-rooted evils. Citing statistics to drive home the extent of the menace, he said smoking causes about one million deaths every year.

“It has emerged as the biggest killer and the cause of problems like indebtedness and domestic discord. With the largest population of youth, India needs to go all out against tobacco use,” he added. Praising the Delhi University Students’ Union initiative for a smoke-free campus, he promised that a smoking cessation centre would soon be operational on the campus.

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