By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: North East leads the chart as the biggest consumer of tobacco in the country and over 50 lakh people die at an early stage due to consumption of tobacco, a Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2010 revealed.
The north eastern states also have the highest incidence of consumption of smokeless tobacco in the world.
Owing to the shocking revelation of the consumption chart in the north east, Health Secretary of India, Keshav Desiraju on Monday stressed on the need to generate awareness among the people through various campaigns.
“Tobacco consumption is a big social problem and its ill-effects will have a negative impact on the region as a whole”, he said while addressing the gathering at the launch of the campaign– Tobacco Free NE Meghalaya organised by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and State Health Department here on Monday.
Health minister AL Hek, who was also present on the occasion said, “Thousands of people are dying of cancer and cardiac diseases every year after consuming gutka, pan masala, khaini, tobacco and cigarettes. All of us should share the responsibility of doing away with social evils posed by the consumption of tobacco.”
The GATS has been conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, with the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai.
Assam topped the list as far as early death due to usage of tobacco is concerned. According to GATS, over 34 lakh deaths have occurred due to use of tobacco, whereas, in Meghalaya, 4,83,641 people have died early due to intake of tobacco products.
As per the survey, till 2011, almost half of the population of Meghalaya i.e. 12, 09,101 (55.2 per cent) has been found using tobacco in one form or other.
The state with the highest number of tobacco users in the region is Mizoram with 67.2 per cent of the total population of 10, 91,014 using tobacco products in 2011. The alarming information revealed by GATS has called for the need to increase taxes on tobacco products by the state government as it has been found that with the increase in taxes, the number of smokers has reduced. To control the alarming rise in the number of tobacco users, the government has launched programmes like the National Tobacco Control Programme in 2007-08 and implemented it in as many as 21 States and Union Territories.