Lockdown should not affect people's livelihood: Ex-Minister B Ramanath Rai
Mangaluru, Apr 28: The Karnataka government should ensure that the lockdown imposed in the wake of the second wave of COVID-19 spread does not affect the livelihood of the people, Congress leader and former Minister B Ramanath Rai said on Wednesday.
Addressing reporters at the party office here, he said the government should provide food kits to the needy, including migrant workers, during the lockdown.
He suggested that nodal officers be appointed at the taluk-level to implement the measures against the spread of COVID-19.
Rai alleged that the governments at the Centre and State have failed to contain the second wave.
The Centre is showing a discriminatory attitude towards States governed by non-BJP parties, he charged.
Rai also wanted waiver of electricity, water and telephone bills during the period.
The Centre should come out with a White Paper on the amount collected through the PM-Cares Fund and its expenditure, he said.
Former Minister Abhayachandra Jain and KPCC spokesman Ivan DSouza were present.
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Anbumani asks PM Modi to ban sale of cigarettes for those born after 2009
Chennai (PTI): PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take legislative measures to prohibit smoking and the sale of cigarettes to individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, thereby creating a smoke-free generation.
Anbumani, former Union minister for health and family welfare, said, "Once implemented, it (ban on cigarettes) will ensure that future generations are legally prevented from ever accessing tobacco products", he said in a letter to Modi.
"I write to you with a deep sense of urgency and responsibility, drawing your kind attention to a critical public health issue that continues to endanger the lives of millions of Indians, particularly among the younger generation who are affected by cigarette smoking", he claimed.
Stating that India unfortunately bears a disproportionately high burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, he said, adding that, according to global health estimates, nearly 267 million Indians, approximately one in five citizens, use tobacco.
"Each year, tobacco consumption directly accounts for over 1.35 million deaths, while exposure to second-hand smoke contributes to a total of approximately 2.3 million deaths annually", he said, adding, "these figures are alarming and reflect a public health crisis of immense magnitude".
He pointed out that Scientific evidence unequivocally establishes tobacco use as a leading cause of cancer and numerous non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular ailments, chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, and multiple forms of malignancies. "In India alone, tobacco is responsible for nearly 40–50 per cent of all cancer cases, with over 4.7 lakh deaths annually attributed to tobacco-induced cancers", he added.
"In this context, I strongly urge the Union government to consider enacting a transformative law similar to that of the United Kingdom, that permanently prohibits the sale and consumption of tobacco products for individuals born on or after a specified year (such as 2009). Such a generational ban would mark a decisive step towards eliminating tobacco use in India over time", he said.
