Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, JANUARY 29
With the ever increasing number of deaths due to tobacco consumption in the country, the Government of India under the initiative of the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) has amended some of its guidelines in an attempt to strictly control and check the usage of tobacco and further to spread more awareness about the harmful effects caused by its consumption.
To this effect, the government has even revised the age limit of people using tobacco from 18 to 21 years under Section 6 (a) of COTPA Act. Now that the age limit has been revised, the age limit to sell tobacco products ‘to and by a person’ under the age of 21 years will be a punishable offence starting from January 2015.This was made known today at an awareness programme for shopkeepers on harmful effects/control of Tobacco and COTPA 2003, held at LCS Building, Kohima, being organized by the District Tobacco Control Cell (DTCC), Kohima under Health & Family Welfare department.
Over 80 shopkeepers from Kohima town who attended the sensitization programme were directed to strictly abide with the age limit, if not face the consequences themselves if found. The new act will be strictly implemented and the defaulters will be imposed a fine of Rs 1000 if caught by the DTCC. As per the new act, it is meant for both the seller and buyer to ensure that the person involved is not below the age of 21 years.
The new act has also directed every selling point to display a billboard declaring that “Sale of tobacco products to a person under the age of 21 years is a punishable offence.” The DTCC has also cautioned that the shopkeepers without the warning billboard at the selling points would be imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 if found during surprise checking.
The specification of the signage is that – the minimum size of the board should be 60 cm X 30 cm. The board should be displayed at a conspicuous place and the warning should be written in an applicable Indian language.
The act under section 6 (b) has prohibition on the sale of tobacco products in an area within the radius of 100 yards distance of any educational institution. A display board is to be put up outside the education institutions declaring the same.
The resource person Asenla Imsong, Psychologist, NTCP, also shared on the harmful effects of Tobacco consumption and also on its hazards and burdens.
In her presentation, Imsong reminded the gathering that tobacco is now the world’s leading single agent of death killing 5.4 million people globally every year. She further informed that India is the second largest consumer of tobacco in the world, next to China, and that one million of Indians die every year due to tobacco.
It was also brought to light that 40 percent of all cancers in India are due to tobacco. The report presented by Imsong further informed that 2200 Indians die every day due to tobacco and that every eight seconds an Indian dies due to tobacco related disease. It was also reported that India has the largest number of oral cancer in the world.
In Nagaland, she informed that the number death due to tobacco is increasing each year. As per her report about the State, Imsong said there are 67.9% male and 28.1% female who consume tobacco in one form or the other.
Sharing on the demerits about tobacco, she also advised the gathering to choose a life without tobacco and further insisted the shopkeepers to contribute on their part in the effort to control tobacco consumption.
The DTCC Kohima also handed out certificates to the participants who attended the awareness programme.
