Say no to tobacco ads, sponsors: NHM chief to garba organisers in MP

INDORE: The National Health Mission has directed district collectors of Madhya Pradesh to issue instructions to all garba organisers not to accept sponsorship or advertisements from any tobacco company during Navratri celebrations.
NHM state director Priyanka Das has written to all the collectors and SPs to ensure that garba celebrations do not become an avenue for promotion of tobacco products in any manner.“In MP, 50.2% men and 17.3% women consume tobacco. Tobacco advertisements further promote consumption,” the letter reads.
The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act bans direct and indirect advertisement of tobacco products, the NHM director’s letter points out.
“Organizers of Ganesh and Navratri Utsav were perhaps accepting sponsorship and advertisement of tobacco products in ignorance, but it is a violation of section 5 (of the Act),” she said, reminding that section bans smoking in public places.
“It’s the responsibility of organizers of Navratri Utsav to not accept sponsorship and advertisement of tobacco products. They should put up banners/posters, informing participants/visitors about the ill-effects of tobacco products along with the helpline number 1800112356 to help people quit tobacco,” the letter reads.
Indore ADM Abhay Bedekar told TOI that they are going through the letter to decide their course of action.
National chairman of Indian Medical Association (IMA) Tobacco Control Committee Dr Dilip Acharya welcomed the order and said, “Implementation of this order is challenging. The government should focus on enforcing it.”