Public Health on Top

Bangaldesh Bidi Owners’ Association has held a pre-budget meeting with National Board of Revenue (NBR) in the guise of Small and Medium Industry. The name of Bidi Industry Owners’ Association was not mentioned anywhere of the meeting agenda. Following the FCTC Article 5.3 the NBR cannot hold any covert meeting with the tobacco companies. The relationship between the NBR and Cigarette Manufacturers’ Association of Bangladesh (CMAB) is more intimate. It appears that NBR is committed to sit for secret meeting with the CMAB. The NBR has changed the meeting dates (April 15 and 29) already. Notably, in the last year, NBR had held meeting with tobacco companies after many dilly-dallies. But the mass media is more active now comparing the last year. It may happen that for the careful attention of mass media, NBR is changing the meeting date. Due to the active participation of the mass media and social media, information of marketing of Japan Tobacco International (JTI)’s Winston cigarette, BATB promotion on hospital website, Dhaka Tobacco’s Navy brand promotion on Pahela Baishakh and other tricky tactics of tobacco companies have been revealed in this time. Tobacco markets were made in three schools including Saptibari High School under different upazillas of Lalmonirhat district with the backings of local elites but the local administration has removed the markets for the strong role of mass media.
Unless the tricky tactics of tobacco companies are exposed and their interferences are removed, the desired result of tobacco control law will not be found. So, let’s expose the masks of tobacco companies and contribute on the tobacco control law implementation.