Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
Notice (8): Undefined variable: urlPrefix [APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8]latest-news-updates/gutkha-banned-in-uttar-pradesh-ashish-tripathi-17374.html"/> LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Gutkha banned in Uttar Pradesh -Ashish Tripathi | Im4change.org
Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

Gutkha banned in Uttar Pradesh -Ashish Tripathi

-The Times of India

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh (UP) government on Wednesday decided to ban gutkha, which is paan masala mixed with tobacco, as per the order of the Allahabad high court order and the Food Security Act passed by the parliament. However, The order will come into effect from April 1, 2013. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said that six months time has been given to find other source of employment for the people rendered jobless due to ban.

The Allahabad high court had on September 18 ordered the UP government to restrain manufacturing, sale and distribution of 'gutkha' in the state and inform the court after 14 days steps taken to implement the order. Fixing October 10 for filing compliance report to implement the Central government's directions under the Food Safety Act, the court in its order, passed on a public interest litigation filed by Indian Dental Association, also said that if the state government failed to act within the stipulated time, it may consider to pass an order banning gutkha.

As many as 13 states in the country have already imposed a ban on the sale of gutkha because it is mainly responsible for the oral cancer which has increased manifold in last few years. The state government was earlier reluctant to ban gutkha because of the massive revenue earnings through sales. In 2011-12 alone, the sale of gutkha in UP fetched the state government over Rs 200 crore in tax. During the same period, paan masala sales allowed the state government funds to grow by Rs 32 crore. In fact, in August this year, the government had even lowered the entry tax on gutkha.

The gutkha has so far been banned in Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Delhi, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram. This has been done in accordance with the Food Security Act.

According to an estimate, some 2.5 lakh people are struggling with cancer in UP. Of this, 75,000 are cases of oral and mouth cancer, mainly due to tobacco chewing and use of gutkha and pan masala In UP, chewing tobacco mainly through gutkha, khaini (raw tobacco), and pan masala are the causes of oral cancers. Experts believe that the cancer population will swell by 56% by 2020. And more than 30% of them will be suffering with oral cancer caused by chewing tobacco.