[While the indefensible defence of cigarette, and Pan
Masala, comes from the corporate lobby engaged in its
demonic drive for profit at the cost of human lives,
the case for bidi is forcefully defended also by a
section of the perverted Left in the name of defending
jobs.]
First study reveals bidi's role as India's silent
killer
Tue, May 13 03:03 AM
Over 100 million people in India smoke bidi and more
people die due to smoking bidis than all other forms
of tobacco combined, says a bidi monograph, the first
study of the kind conducted anywhere in the world. It
further says that 800 million bidis are sold in the
country each year.
While 19 per cent of tobacco consumption in India is
in the form of cigarettes, 53 per cent is smoked as
bidis. Roughly about eight bidis are sold for every
cigarette, underlines Bidi Smoking and Public Health,
released by Union Ministry of Health and Family
welfare on Monday.
"Tobacco is harmful in all its forms. Anti-tobacco
advocacy is a major task of this ministry," said
Naresh Dayal, Secretary, Health Ministry, while
releasing the monograph. Dayal added that Food and
Agricultural Organisation estimated that 29 lakh
persons grow tobacco for bidis in the country.
The current bidi smoking prevalence is high (10.6 per
cent-14.2 per cent) in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and
Sikkim, intermediately high (4.6 per cent-9.2 per
cent) in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh
and Meghalaya, low (1 per cent or less) in Goa, Tamil
Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat,
Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, intermediately low (1.1
per cent-2.9 per cent) in Maharastra, West Bengal,
Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, Orissa, Uttarakhand,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh.
According to the monograph, regular prevalence of
smoking is highest in Mizoram and lowest in Punjab.
"Bidi smoking is found to be more common in households
consuming paan or alcohol," says the report, authored
by 35 experts and 51 reviewers.
While students are more inclined towards cigarette
smoking, bidi smoking is no less with 12.5 per cent
students in India smoking bidis. In Orissa, 19.7 per
cent of men and 1.4 per cent of women smoke bidi on a
daily basis.
"Bidi contains much less tobacco than cigarette, has
more tar, nicotine and other toxic substances. It
contains most potent cancer causing agents," said
Prakash Gupta, one of the authors of the monograph.
Regarding diseases caused due to bidi smoking, the
report says in India the major effect of tobacco is
seen in oral cavity, pharynx and oesophagus, which
together account for 75 per cent of tobacco-related
cancers.
According to the report, bidi and tuberculosis go hand
in hand. Compared to unfiltered cigarette, bidi smoke
contains higher levels of carbon monoxide, ammonia,
hydrogen cyanide, phenol volatile phenols.
FACTFILE • 85 per cent of the world's tobacco for
bidi is grown in India
• Bidi crop cultivation occupies 35 per cent of the
total area under tobacco cultivation, mostly in
Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra
• 1,50,000 tonnes of tobacco and 30,00 tonnes of
tendu leaves are used to make bidis.
• Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are leading suppliers
of tendu leaves
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