New revolutionary policies floated by the Indian Government, about the selling and manufacturing of tobacco products, had assured people that there would be a change in the country for sure. The agencies have implemented these laws and policies, but lack of cooperation with each other, are not permitting them to take benefit of the situation.
At 
, an event was organized to mark “World No Tobacco day”. A speech was given to dental professionals gathered there, on ‘Opportunities and challenges in tobacco control in India’ by Dr Prakash Gupta, Director of Mumbai’s Seksaria Institute of Public Health, who cited these fears there.
Exhibiting concern, Dr Prakash Gupta stated “The burden of tobacco related diseases in India is very high. This is because of consumption of smoking as well as smokeless tobacco, including areca nut and betel nut, being high. The awareness about the harmful effects of these products has been increasing over the years but the advocacy needs to spread to the smaller cities and villages as well.”Dr Gupta felt that a joint effort was needed from all quarters and a wide-ranging plan needs to be chalked out to implement laws properly.
Dr. Gupta appreciated laws like Juvenile Justice Act and Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act and claimed “In fact, India leads the world in terms of the area of package covered by pictorial warning, which is 85%. All these laws can deter people from using tobacco products. When the demand is less, the supply will eventually reduce as well,” said Dr Gupta. He insisted that a proper coordination between the Police forces, FDA and other authorities that implement laws is needed for this effort to be successful.
Dr Vinay Hazarey, the GDCH dean, showed his concern over the younger generation taking to tobacco consumption and he appealed that they needed to make efforts to get the educational institutions free of the menace of tobacco. He insisted that the staff members and students were both accountable for creating awareness regarding the harmful effects of consuming tobacco. Professionals associated with the medical profession in Nagpur need to make special efforts as this area has been declared as “kharra and oral cancer capital of the country”.
