An Indian sadhu smokes inside his tent at the Kumbh Mela festival in Allahabad. Photo: AFP
Can big smoking India aim for ‘tobacco endgame’ with higher tax rather than an outright ban?
- The country has made large strides in reducing consumption of tobacco. However, it is still used by 275 million people and as society liberalises more women are smoking
- Previous rules have suffered from lax enforcement - and it may find cheaper, filterless ‘bidis’ and chewing tobacco are harder to stub out than traditional cigarettes
Follow your favourite topic and get notified
An Indian sadhu smokes inside his tent at the Kumbh Mela festival in Allahabad. Photo: AFP