Bhubaneswar, July 22: Indians smoke eight times more bidis than cigarettes.

A recently launched book titled Bidi Smoking & Public Health prepared by ministry of health and family welfare states that while 19 per cent of tobacco consumption in the country is in form of cigarettes, 53 per cent of the population smokes bidis. Figures state that over 800million bidis are sold in India.

The compilation of scientific studies on bidi and tobacco consumption in India and USA was prepared by Union health and family welfare department in association with the World Health Organisation, Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services. Referred to as the “Bidi monograph”, the report categorically states that “bidis cause the same diseases as cigarettes and more Indians die from smoking bidis than any other form of tobacco.”

According to the Global Youth Tobacco survey, Orissa ranks intermediately low — 1.1 per cent to 2.9 per cent — in the bidi smoking population.

The number of estimated bidi workers in Orissa is 1,60,000, comprising 3.6 per cent of the total workforce. Since a large percentage of bidi workers are in the unorganised sector, the figure is likely to be much more.

Going by the figures provided by the Tobacco Institute of India, New Delhi, while the minimum wage for rolling a thousand bidis is Rs 42.5 per day, the excise revenue generated from the trade is pegged at Rs. 498.44 lakh. The revenue collected from the tobacco products towards VAT was Rs 33.30 crore in Orissa in 2007-08, figures point. It’s therefore not surprising that most bidi workers live in an impoverished condition.

The report strongly recommends eliminating the distinction between hand-rolled and machine-made bidis. It also suggests enhancing the excise rates so that they are at par with cigarettes.

Despite legislation enacted by the state government for monitoring the working conditions and providing social security benefits for bidi workers, the fact remains that legislation have remained negligent to the deplorable conditions of the workers and done precious little to improve their livelihoods.

A section of the population constitutes women and children employed in the sector. “it’s time that we reflect on the industry as a whole and the consequent human toll,” said Sishir Ranjan Dash, project manager of VHAI-Aparajita.