Mumbai Students Conduct Anti-Tobacco Campaign

Students of a Management Studies College here on Sunday organised a campaign called 'Pratigya' to support the government's ban on smoking in public places.

Carrying banners and placards on the ill-effects of smoking and tobacco products, about 400 participants marched down the main roads of the state emphasising the need to take effective measures against this menace.

The participants in carried the campaign though a five kilometres long walkathon wearing masks on their mouths.

"To increase the awareness of people, such campaigns are mandatory. The campaign starts from the daughter or son taking out the cigarette from father's mouth," said K L Prasad, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Mumbai Police, one of the participants.

However, even after months of a pioneering decision to ban smoking at public places in the country, smokers continue with their habit and no serious effort seem to have been made to implement the law.

Critics feel it is impossible for the government alone to stop this without active participation of the public.

According to statistics recently released by the Delhi Medical Association, every ten seconds, some person dies of tobacco use in the world. If the trend continues, by 2025 a person will die every three seconds, it said.

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In India, half of all cancers in men and one fourth of all cancers in women are attributed directly to tobacco use.

Source-ANI
PRI/SK