New Delhi:- The government is aware of the concerns of tobacco farmers and their issues will be discussed during the ongoing global tobacco control conference, Union Health Minister J P Nadda today said in the wake of protest by tobacco farmers against the “un-democratic” way of framing tobacco polices.
“Those people who are associated with this industry especially farmers, we know about their concerns. How we can strategise this, we will deliberate on the issues during this conference.
“I am hopeful that all the representatives who have come to attend the conference will discuss this issue and a strategy can come out so that tobacco usage is minimised.
“Those who are associated with this industry, what alternatives can be found out for them, discussions will be done on that as well,” Nadda said.
He was speaking at the sidelines of the Seventh Session of the Conference of Parties (COP7) to World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) which India is hosting for the first time.
Indian tobacco farmers staged a demonstration at the venue of a global conference organised by the WHO here today to protest against the “non-democratic” way of framing “one-sided” policies on tobacco.
The farmers have also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to institute an investigation and expose the opaque working of WHO-FCTC and NGO operations in India who orchestrated atrocities against farmers.
Nadda who inaugurated the conference said during his inaugural speech that tobacco growers and workers along with WHO, UN agencies and civil societies are “partners and stakeholders” in framing tobacco control policies.
“The governments, the WHO FCTC, WHO and other UN agencies, the civil society as well as the tobacco growers and workers are our partners and stakeholders in framing and implementing effective tobacco control policies at the national and international levels.
“We can together review implementation of WHO FCTC, to identify and applaud best practices across countries and to chart the way forward,” he said.
He said that while doing so, there is a need to be guided by the “solemn thought of the destitute, the vulnerable and the poor on the streets, in the fields, our children, whose destiny and future is at stake.”
“We must always keep in mind their interests, above all, while formulating our policies and taking our decisions at the COP platform,” he said.
PTI
