Jaipur among 100 cities of world in tobacco control

Jaipur has figured among 100 cities of the world where tobacco consumption has come down, said a World Health Organisation report.

Twelve other cities of India have also been included in the 100-city list published in the WHO report — Global Tobacco Epidemic-2017 — that was released in New York on July 19.

“Jaipur got a place among 100 cities in the world because of continuous efforts made by health minister Kali Charan Saraf, principal secretary (health) Veenu Gupta and National Health Mission chief Naveen Jain for tobacco control,” said Dr SN Dholpuria, Rajasthan’s nodal officer for tobacco control.

“Efforts are being made to effectively implement the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA),” he said.

WHO has praised India as well as Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Philippines for curbing tobacco consumption. Of the Indian cities, Jaipur has stood at 83rd position, Mumbai second, Kolkata fifth, Delhi sixth, Chennai 23rd, Hyderabad 26th, Bengaluru 27th, Ahmadabad 36th, Pune 46th, Surat 58th, Kanpur 66th, Lucknow 87th and Nagpur 96th. Dr Dholpuria said cancer experts in Rajasthan and Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV) campaign played a key role in tobacco control in Jaipur. “Cancer experts and VoTV campaign have continuously made people aware about the ill-effects of consuming tobacco.”

According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS-2) 2017 published last month, tobacco consumers in India have declined from 34.6% to 28.6% -- a drop of 6%.

The ministry of health and family welfare has stopped advertisements on tobacco products and created awareness about ill effects of tobacco consumption; 81 lakh tobacco consumers have quit the habit.

Jaipur got a place among 100 cities in the world because of continuous efforts made by health minister Kali Charan Saraf, principal secretary (health) Veenu Gupta and National Health Mission chief Naveen Jain for tobacco control. Efforts are being made to effectively implement the COTPA