Yesterday , Times of India reported :
India's tobacco industry supports 38 million people ( 380 lakhs )
Every year , some 6 million ( 60 lakh )people die in India thru use of tobacco ( mostly cigarettes )
Of these , some 6 lakh die by inhaling smoke of other cigarette smokers
So what can we do to save these 60 lakh ?
Immediately close down entire tobacco industry ?
And jeopardize the lives of 380 lakh ?
Obviously , we cannot adopt a mutually exclusive solution !
We must find a solution that , not only saves those 60 lakh but also continue to provide livelihood to 380 lakhs
That cannot be done in one - or even five - years , but it is entirely possible to solve this problem over , 20 years , as follows :
> Thru appropriate legislation , phase out tobacco industry by 2033
> Immediately stop expansion of existing units
> Do not allow new units to come up
> Place a recruitment freeze in tobacco industry - no fresh hiring at any level
> No replacement for retiring employees , after 2018
> Provide incentives to industry to redeploy capital / manpower in alternate industries - especially those industries with large scope for creation of new jobs
> Give generous tax-breaks to industry to remain profitable , even as they wind-up operations
> Provide incentives to put up new-industry projects in less industrialized regions
> Provide incentives for re-training existing workers in new skills in demand by others
> Subsidize Voluntary Retirement Schemes of industry
This is just a partial list . I am sure , if there is political will , experts will come up with many more viable suggestions
Question :
With national elections looming on the horizon , which political party would want to alienate , a lucrative source of election funding ?
India's tobacco industry supports 38 million people ( 380 lakhs )
Every year , some 6 million ( 60 lakh )people die in India thru use of tobacco ( mostly cigarettes )
Of these , some 6 lakh die by inhaling smoke of other cigarette smokers
So what can we do to save these 60 lakh ?
Immediately close down entire tobacco industry ?
And jeopardize the lives of 380 lakh ?
Obviously , we cannot adopt a mutually exclusive solution !
We must find a solution that , not only saves those 60 lakh but also continue to provide livelihood to 380 lakhs
That cannot be done in one - or even five - years , but it is entirely possible to solve this problem over , 20 years , as follows :
> Thru appropriate legislation , phase out tobacco industry by 2033
> Immediately stop expansion of existing units
> Do not allow new units to come up
> Place a recruitment freeze in tobacco industry - no fresh hiring at any level
> No replacement for retiring employees , after 2018
> Provide incentives to industry to redeploy capital / manpower in alternate industries - especially those industries with large scope for creation of new jobs
> Give generous tax-breaks to industry to remain profitable , even as they wind-up operations
> Provide incentives to put up new-industry projects in less industrialized regions
> Provide incentives for re-training existing workers in new skills in demand by others
> Subsidize Voluntary Retirement Schemes of industry
This is just a partial list . I am sure , if there is political will , experts will come up with many more viable suggestions
Question :
With national elections looming on the horizon , which political party would want to alienate , a lucrative source of election funding ?
No comments:
Post a Comment