New Delhi: An anti-tobacco group on Thursday expressed ‘shock’ over West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s joke asking people to smoke more, so more revenue could be garnered to compensate investors of the collapsed Saradha chit fund.
“This is a great discouragement for those working in the area of public health,” said Bhavna Mukhopadhyay, executive director, Voluntary Health Association of India.
“Higher prices discourage youth from initiating cigarette smoking and encourage current smokers to quit, but such a move should certainly not be accompanied by suggestions that people should use more tobacco.”
According to a data, 36.3 per cent of West Bengal’s population uses a tobacco product in one or other form.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a Rs 500 crore fund Wednesday to compensate the poorest among lakhs of depositors who have lost their savings in the Saradha chit fund collapse.
The chief minister announced a 10 per cent additional tax on cigarettes to mop up revenue to reimburse the poor people defrauded by Saradha chit fund, and suggested, with the hint of a smile, that people should smoke more for a few days to help raise the money sooner. (IANS)