make Bangladesh tobacco free by 2040 and only 18years have passed. Therefore, it is necessary to acquire the financial capacity of the organizations working in tobacco control to conduct monitoring activities in tobacco control, to help the administration with accurate information, to organize various skill-enhancing training programs, to conduct advocacy in administration, etc. With this objective in mind, a workshop titled “Workshop on Strengthening Tobacco Control Capacity of Local Level Organizations” was held on Sunday, March 08, 2022 at 9.30 am at the seminar of Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust jointly organized by Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance and Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust. Is. Honorable guests and negotiators on the occasion were Hon'ble Member of Parliament of Gaibandha-1 Barrister Shamim Haider Patwari, Hon'ble Member of Parliament of Comilla-06 Prof. Dr. Pran Gopal Dutta, Coordinator of National Tobacco Control Cell Hossain Ali Khandaker, Technical Consultant of The Union Hamidur Rahman Khan, Bachao Andolan (Paba) Chairman Abu Naser Khan, Pratasha Anti-Drug Organization General Secretary Helal Ahmed and Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance Coordinator Saifuddin Ahmed.

 

Shamim Haider Patwari said that the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance has achieved some success in controlling smoking as a result of the continuous activities of local organizations. The 2005 law is in the process of being amended again. Due to the relentless efforts of the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance, the number of smokers in Bangladesh is still relatively low. The National Assembly is working on tobacco control. According to the conviction of the Prime Minister, a place of political goodwill has been created to build a tobacco free Bangladesh by 2040. It is not possible to control tobacco and remedy the damage caused by tobacco by the efforts of the government alone. Those who speak out for tobacco control need to be guided by the government and act as a supportive force. In this case, local organizations working across the country, led by the anti-tobacco coalition in Banglades

h, need to be involved in the tobacco control movement. The government should allocate funds to local organizations for tobacco control. He opined that the task force meetings at district and upazila level should be made more effective.

 

Dr. Pran Gopal Dutt, considering the enormity of the direct and indirect effects of tobacco, called for more anti-tobacco campaigns. You need more than luck to succeed in affiliate business. We can use the surcharge money that the government has for banning smoking. We can ask the Tobacco Control Cell for financial allocation. He called for creating awareness in the media by promoting the harmful aspects of tobacco. He also suggested to include a chapter on the evils of tobacco in the secondary curriculum.

 

Hossain Ali Khonda

kar said that the National Tobacco Control Cell is the government body responsible for tobacco control activities and as a guardian for the local organizations involved in the tobacco control movement. The National Tobacco Control Cell has already taken up several action plans in coordination with the government. Financial allocations to local organizations are planned from next year. But before that he advised the local organizations to be more active in tobacco control. He also suggested strengthening the task force committee at district and upazila level and holding task force meetings every two months instead of three months.

 

Professor Romana Haque emphasized the need to impose a specific tax on cigarettes. He also said that smokeless tobacco should be brought under the tax. Tobacco companies often say that raising taxes on tobacco will reduce government revenue. However, the amount of revenue earned from tobacco products is much less than the medical expenses caused by smoking. Cigarettes are easily sold in our country.

Many times the company says that if the tax is increased, the workers of the bidi industry will lose their jobs. But the reality is that there are very few workers in the tobacco industry in Bangladesh. As there are four levels, there are complications in levying taxes and there is an opportunity to evade the government's revenue collection. He demanded a reduction in the price level of cigarettes to one or two levels. In addition to raising taxes at the right rate to make Bangladesh tobacco free, it is important to implement tobacco control laws, conduct task force meetings, provide illustrated health warning messages, conduct regular skill enhancement training, withdraw government shares and even ban advertisements for all tobacco products.