Strengthening the Governance for Effective Tobacco Control in India

One of the key components in achieving a substantial reduction in tobacco use and associated disease, economic and ecologic burden in India is to strengthen the governance for tobacco control. In the last decade and a half, a lot has been done in this direction, notably enacting a national legislation (the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 COTPA), embracing an international treaty – the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) – and prohibitions on manufacturing and sales of gutka across the country. In addition, there have been state-specifc regulations including prohibitions on all forms of chewing tobacco products, the sale of loose cigarette sticks, hukka (smoke pipe) and e-cigarettes. These eforts are commendable. However, the concept of governance goes beyond an important component of regulations. It also entails coordination with varied stakeholders ensuring overall policy direction and accountability to achieve shared goals. The goal of reducing tobacco use is evident through these regulatory measures. More recently, as part of the National Action Plan and Monitoring Framework for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable diseases, India set a target of 15% reduction in tobacco use by the year 2020 and 30% reduction by the year 2025. In this paper, I reflect on the four major challenges in tobacco control that imply strengthening governance for tobacco control.