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| 3,000 passive smokers die every year in India | | Declining sex ratio in Northern India quite alarming | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
UDHAMPUR, Oct 9: Even though the government has banned smoking at public places from October 2 this year, a record number of 90,000 deaths continue to occur in India annually due to tobacco chewing and consumption. While these 90,000 deaths take place due to smoking of cigarettes or bidis and chewing of tobacco products like Gutka etc, sadly, another 3,000 passive smokers also die due to tobacco smoking in the country.
"These 90,000 deaths due to tobacco in India is a big number. The tragedy is that those who do not smoke at all but inhale the smoke of other smokers as passive smokers are also falling prey to the death," said Dr. Chander Prakash, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO), while delivering a lecture on "Quit Drugs, Save Life - Smoking and Chewing Tabacco, A Threat To Life" organized by the Centre for Adult, Continuing Education and Extension (CACE&E) , University of Jammu at Shivalik College of Education, Udhampur, under its field outreach and extension programmes.
Informing that forty percent of the students studying from Class 9th to Class 12th in India are using tobacco in the form of cigarette smoking or chewing, Dr Prakash added that while 56 per cent of men suffer from cancer due to tobacco, 45 per cent of women are also found suffering from tobacco related cancer.
Earlier, Dr Santosh, District Immunization Officer (DIO), delivered a lecture on "Female Foeticide-A Shameful Act" and said even after 60 years of independence, India was not able to get rid of this shameful practice of killing the girl child in mother's womb.
Giving statistics, Dr. Santosh said while the female sex ratio in India was 976 girls per 1000 in the year 1961, it further reduced to 945 in 1991 and was down to 927 in 2001. She said the sex ratio also varied in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir. While in some parts less, in other areas, it was more. In Leh district, it was 805, in Rajouri it was 891, in Jammu it was 831 while in Udhampur, it was 871.
She said the declining sex ration in Northern India was quite alarming and it was the high time that the entire society, especially the youth of the country should help in bringing the change in the mindset of the people regarding saving the girl child. She also added that if the number of girls would continue decreasing, the balance of the society would be hit.
Dr. Vikram Gulati, Principal, Shivalik College of Education, said that students have to come forward and help in eradicating the ills like drug abuse and female foeticide. He said they had a great responsibility on their shoulders and they can do wonders by helping changing he mindsets of these people regarding these challenges like drug abuse and female foeticide.
Dr. Kavita Suri, Assistant Director, Centre for Adult, Continuing Education & Extension, University of Jammu, who organized the lecture-cum-awareness program, said that CACE&E wants to create awareness about relevant issues among the youth and students of the region. These two lectures-cum-awareness programmes, she added were part of CACE&E field outreach and extension programmes. |
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