Anti-tobacco platform PROGGA has lauded the Ministry of Industries’ move to include companies manufacturing tobacco and tobacco products on the list of entities ineligible for the prestigious President's Award for Industrial Development.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the anti-tobacco advocacy platform termed the move “time-fitting and laudable.”
“This pro-public health move has come from the MoInd [Ministry of Industries] at such a time when Bangladesh is facing Covid-19 pandemic and the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that tobacco helps spread Covid-19 infection, discouraging its use,” the statement said.
“Other ministries should follow the footsteps of MoInd and adopt a ban on bestowing awards on tobacco traders and companies,” PROGGA Executive Director ABM Zubair said in the statement.
Despite strong protests from anti-tobacco organizations, multinational tobacco company British-American Tobacco Bangladesh (BAT) has been receiving the prestigious award for the last several years, the statement said.
“It should be noted that the company has allegedly been exploiting the president's 0.64% share to extract business facilities,” it further claimed.
According to PROGGA, tobacco claims 126,000 lives prematurely every year.
Realizing the damages caused by tobacco, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared her vision to build a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040, the statement further added.