Non-governmental development organization Development Organization of the Rural Poor (DORP) has also raised the issue of banning the import, production, use and marketing of e-cigarettes or emerging heated tobacco products in order to implement the Prime Minister’s promise to build a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040 for public health protection. Actively participating in electronic and social media anti-tobacco campaigns. Also working with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to further strengthen the Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products (Control) Act, 2005 (amended in 2013) with utmost emphasis on the Prime Minister’s announcement.
In this context, on Tuesday (November 28, 2023) DROP organized an orientation program for the civil society and marginalized communities in Kaliganj Upazila of Gazipur on the project “Strengthening Tobacco Control Law to Protect Public Health and Demand Increase in Tax and Price of Tobacco”. Various aspects of the project were highlighted in the orientation program held at Kaliganj Upazila Parishad conference room. In the brief scope of the program, the draft of the future action plan of the project was formulated in the upazila.
In order to strengthen the existing tobacco control laws and make them compatible with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the draft proposed by the Ministry of Health includes the elimination of designated smoking areas in all public places and public transport for the protection of non-smoker, ban the promotion of tobacco products at the point of sale, ban the corporate social responsibility activities of tobacco companies, ban the import, manufacture, use and marketing of e-cigarettes or emerging heated tobacco products, ban loose selling of tobacco products and increased pictorial health warning size from 50% to 90%.
Kaliganj Press Club President Md. Ayub Ali was present as the president of the event while Kaliganj Upazila NGO Affairs Representative Md Kamrul Islam was present as special guest. DORP Kaliganj Mothers’ Parliament Speaker Jannatun Begum was the chief guest in the orientation program.
Md. Abdus Salam Mia, Programs Manager, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Bangladesh while speaking at the event said, “Now is the time to declare war on tobacco. We all need to do our part to strengthen tobacco control law.”
It is to be noted that in the event, members of civil society, media workers, members of DORP Mothers’ Parliament and the DORP youth forum participated in a spontaneous discussion on the strengthening of the Tobacco Control Law and urged the Ministry of Health to take necessary steps in this regard.
DORP has been involved in various development programs since 1987 and is best known for introducing maternity allowance. In line with this, DORP is currently working on tobacco control law and increasing tobacco taxes and implementing various projects to achieve the government’s sustainable development goals.