You came across the following advertisement published in the public interest by the Ministry of Health. You feel that despite raising taxes and restrictions on tobacco products in India, there are still 260 million smokers in the country and the number is still rising. Write an article for your school magazine in not more than 120 words.
Ans. Harms of Smoking
“Smoking or chewing tobacco is injurious to health” — this is what we can find printed on a cigarette packet, or in the television programmes when there are scenes where people have seen smoking. But how far does the public give heed to this? Very little, we can say. That means people who smoke or chew tobacco do know that it leads to health hazards in the form of mouth or lung cancer. Even people who do not smoke are at risk if they are passive smokers – staying with or near smokers. While poor illiterates could be seen smoking beedies or chewing tobacco, others go for branded cigarettes/pans. In the interest of the public, smoking at public places has been banned in many Indian states, which has quite a high number of deaths due to mouth/ lung cancer. The government also has taken other steps to control tobacco consumption by raising taxes on tobacco products and restricting their sales. Still, we find that there are 260 million smokers in the country. Even the younger generation is lured into the fantastic world offered by smoking! So, the number tends to rise. Though their products are a source of revenue and banning them would burden the exchequer, the government has to seriously think about it.
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