THE INDIAN government as per its annual tradition, has fulfilled formality of celebrating ‘No-Tobacco-Day’ today (May 31) but this time by forced compulsion from the Apex Court to half-heartedly print pictorial warnings on a reduced 40-per cent area of just one side of cigarette-packs with diluted pictures. This is against earlier decided more stringent pictures to be displayed on 50-per cent area on all sides including on wholesale-packs, proving powerful influence of all-rich tobacco-lobby in the country.

Otherwise the matter of pictorial-warnings was being postponed since the year 2006 despite all efforts of the then Union Health Minister A Ramadoss to implement. Even then, the proportion is lowest in the world with Brazil even having 100-per cent area on both front and pack panels of cigarette-packs to be covered with pictorial warnings.

 However, the only remedy for effectively curbing smoking is to follow sensible countries like Bhutan and Ireland by imposing a complete ban on manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the country. Even family-members of smokers will support such a bold step because it is the family which suffers from death of persons caused by smoking.

Smoking is an addiction started out of fashion at the young age when initial puffs even cause discomfort. Revenue-loss from ban on cigarettes will be more than compensated by funds saved on tobacco-related diseases.

If self-regulation is the policy to check human evils, then the Union Government should withdraw attempt-to-suicide from Indian Penal Code. Likewise using helmets by scooterists should also be made self-regulatory rather than being forced as compulsory.