No Indian study says tobacco causes cancer: Parl panel head

New Delhi: PTI





As India is set to defer its April 1 deadline for increasing size of pictorial warnings on tobacco products after pressure from various lobbies, head of a Parliamentary panel on Monday said there was no Indian study to confirm that use of tobacco products leads to cancer.Dilip Gandhi, head of Parliamentary panel on subordinate legislation examining the provisions of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 which had sought deferment of the move, on Monday said all studies have come from abroad and one should consider the Indian aspect too.
The Parliamentary Committee, which Gandhi -a BJP MP from Maharashtra -heads, had “strongly“ urged the government to keep on hold its proposal to increase the size of pictorial warnings on tobacco packets from 40% to 85%.
“All agree on the harmful effects of tobacco. Cancer does not happen only because of tobacco. We have to study the Indian context, as four crore people in states like Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh are dependent on bidi-making,“ Gandhi said. The panel said a large number of representations expressing “serious“ apprehensions from MPs as well as other stakeholders against the proposed notification.
Gandhi had also written to health minister J P Nadda in this regard.