Smoking and its various adverse effects has always been a concern, both worldwide and on a national level. In India, smoking is a major cause of death and nearly 900,000 people annually lose their lives to this vice. In fact, a New England Journal of Medicine study of 2008 had warned of the possibility of yearly smoking deaths figure touching 1 million and beyond.
[m9ad]
In India, the recent figures released by health ministry in Parliament paints an interesting picture of the cigarette consumption habits in India. The figures show that while there has been a 10 per cent decrease in cigarette consumption over the last two years, the number of female smokers have gone up sharply. Today, India is second only to the US in terms of the number of women smokers.
These figures are a great cause of worry to the health experts and anti tobacco activists.
