ADHUNIK places proposals to Speaker

ADHUNIK (we prevent smoking), a leading anti-tobacco organisation founded by National Prof Dr Nurul Islam, placed a six-point proposal to Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury Thursday, reports UNB.
An eight-member delegation of ADHUNIK led by Amanullah Khan, president, ADHUNIK and chairman of UNB, met the Speaker at her Sangsad Bhaban office and submitted the proposals.
They sought support from the top level of  the government to curb the growing menace of tobacco consumption in the country.
The proposals were submitted ahead of the May 31 'World No Tobacco Day' for speedy implementation of the objectives of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usages (Control) Act-2005( amended in 2013).
Speaker Dr Sharmin appreciated the various aspects of the health issues posed by tobacco and the anti-tobacco legislation and its enforcement highlighted by the campaigners present in the meeting.
She assured the delegation of her full support and cooperation in their efforts to carry forward the movement to contain the tobacco epidemic.
The ADHUNIK delegates proposed to raise tax on tobacco particularly on lower grade cigarettes and bidis by 200 per cent, which will save the hard-earned money of the poor and also improve their health by compelling them to quit the smoking habit due to high prices.
They also suggested loans on easy terms should be provided to farmers willing to switch over to alternative food and healthy cash crop cultivation. .
Articles on ill effects of tobacco and smoking should be included in the school textbooks of classes VIII, IX and X, as these groups of students are particularly vulnerable to tobacco epidemic, they suggested adding that in the past the articles of National Professor Dr Nurul Islam on ill effects of tobacco and smoking were included in the school textbooks. These have been later dropped.
They further proposed to pursue the print and electronic media to publish and broadcast reports, articles, messages and programmes to raise awareness among the public about the health hazards of tobacco uses.
Amanullah Khan told the Speaker that Tobacco killed nearly 6.0 million people each year across the globe. "Unless urgent action is taken, the annual death toll could rise to more than 8.0 million by 2030, and 80 per cent of the deaths will occur in low-and-middle-income countries whose health systems are ill-equipped to cope with this disaster."
The delegation included Prof Hasina Banu (cardiologist), Senior Vice President, ADHUNIK, A.I. Islam, Secretary General, M A Jabbar, Executive Secretary, Dr Neena Islam, Social Welfare Secretary, and other members of ADHUNIK; Umme Salema, a nutritionist, Ali Neyamat and Salma Akter Popy.