India's half-hearted fight against the tobacco industry

In India, ten years after the government promised to implement a strategy to prevent tobacco industry interference in public policy, a code of conduct for civil servants to prevent tobacco industry influence has just been published. However, the code has a number of limitations.[1].

In 2010, the Global Tobacco Networking Forum was held in Bangalore, an event closely linked to the tobacco and nicotine industry. The Tobacco Board, a department of the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, had joined the Forum, despite the country's obligations as a Party to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) since 2004. In response to this breach, the Institute of Public Health filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court at the same time, seeking the withdrawal of the Tobacco Board from the event, as well as a government policy prohibiting its members from any unnecessary interaction with the tobacco industry.

A late and incomplete government response

Ten years after the government promised to do so, it has come up with a succinct code of conduct for civil servants to protect public policies from industry interference. In other words, only civil servants affiliated with the Ministry of Public Health are covered by this document, without taking into account, for example, the tobacco companies' influence strategies that different localities in India are subject to, or all public authorities, such as the Ministry of Commerce and Industry or Finance, which are key targets of tobacco companies. Thus, while they regulate issues related to tobacco taxes, its sale, its export, the civil servants of these ministries escape this code of conduct. Public health experts also deplore the government's failure to take into account public investments in the tobacco sector, as well as the lack of response to manufacturers' social responsibility strategies.

India, an ambivalent country

The country is seeing a positive trend in its fight against the influence of the tobacco industry, as highlighted by the interference index, published in November 2020. Between 2017 and 2019, India went from 72 to 61 points, an improvement of 11 points. However, this score remains very high in absolute terms, and reveals a number of weaknesses in Indian public policies. While the country has recently distinguished itself by distancing itself from the tobacco and nicotine industry, decision-making circles nevertheless maintain close ties with cigarette manufacturers. For example, observers have noted the presence of former government members on the boards of tobacco companies, such as the former Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nirupama Rao. Despite a heavy health toll with 1.35 million premature deaths each year due to tobacco, this situation demonstrates that tobacco is not yet perceived in India in its dimension as an obstacle to economic development and impoverishment. The industry remains very active and influential there, particularly through tobacco growers' organisations.

[1] India Spend, New Policy Targets Tobacco Industry Interference In Health Ministry, 12/21/2020, consulted on 01/04/2020