Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education, Atal Dulloo today said tobacco consumption has become the world’s leading single agent of death even though it is preventable.
“As far as our State is concerned the rate of consumption ofcigarettes or any kind of tobacco has declined by 2 to 3 percent in recentyears but that is not the achievement till it reaches to zero percent,” headded.
He was speaking at the State Level Inception cumsensitization workshop for stakeholders on effective implementation of COTPA,2003. The workshop was organised by the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir.
During the workshop, Director Health Kashmir, Dr KunzesDolma also highlighted the importance of awareness and sensitization programmesto educate people about bad effects of tobacco or cigarettes on health.
Underscoring the need for a complete ban on the use oftobacco and its allied products in the State, Commissioner, Food Safety, VinodSharma sought overwhelming support of the society to deal with the menace.