Even as the ambitious move to make pictorial warnings mandatory on tobacco products missed its deadline once again on December 1, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Sunday made it clear that the Government was committed to the move and “will do it soon”. “The matter is pending in the court and the next date of hearing is December 13. It is only then that the future course of action will be decided,” he said at the inauguration of the Fifth World Assembly on ‘Tobacco Counters Health’. The Minister had earlier disclosed that the initiative was facing opposition from various groups, including manufacturers and politicians.Accusing the tobacco industry as the only industry which kills its consumers, the Minister said he needed a multisectorial approach against those destroying the future. “They want five million to kill every year, that’s why they entice the young. I want all the forces who are opposing tobacco to come together as a cohesive force to stand against the lobbies and industries who are ruining the younger generation of this country,” he said.According to the figures available with the Health Ministry, 40 per cent of the all health-related problems in the country are due to tobacco. The tobacco industry is worth Rs 40,000 crore and the amount spent by the Government in curing and preventing tobacco-related ailments stands at Rs 45,000 crore.The vulnerable countries are India, China and Indonesia. In the northeastern part of India, a “volcano is waiting to erupt”, he said.
