The government will now impose an extra tax on products like cigarettes and pan masala. The money generated from the extra tax will be used for national security. This information was provided by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The Health Security to National Security Cess Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Friday. After the passing of this bill, items like pan masala will become more expensive. During the discussion on the bill, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that
“The Kargil war happened due to lack of preparation. Army generals had stated that due to budget cuts since the early 1990s, the Army only had 70-80% of authorized weapons, ammunition, and equipment. We do not want that stage to ever return in India.”
Presenting the bill, the Finance Minister said that the cess would not be levied on any essential commodity, but on harmful goods that damage health. She said the objective of the bill is to ensure that funds are available for things necessary for national security without burdening common citizens.
The Finance Minister said that the revenue generated from this bill will be shared with the states for specific health schemes. He said that in addition to 40 percent GST, a health and national security cess will also be imposed on pan masala units.
Celebrities are doing advertisements, stop them: Hanuman Beniwal
Hanuman Beniwal and other opposition MPs protested against it and demanded its withdrawal. Beniwal asked the government, “You are going to make pan masala expensive, and celebrities are advertising gutkha and pan masala. What is the government doing against this?”
Congress MP Shashikant Senthil said that it is difficult to understand. Such clauses were seen in PMLA.
We need resources for modern warfare – Nirmala Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on this that I will not go into its importance, but to meet the security needs of the country, we need resources. The PM had given information about Mission Sudarshan Chakra from the Red Fort.
During Operation Sindoor, all three forces did excellent work, which required technical instruments. This is modern warfare, and for this, we need to impose a cess. This entire fund will be spent only on the security of the people of the country. We are imposing this cess only on demerit goods.
We increased the exemption in Income Tax and GST – Finance Minister
Regarding making products expensive, the Finance Minister said that our government gave exemptions in income tax. I also thank the GST Council for accepting our recommendations. Our government wants to ensure that such products are not cheap.
She said that as a finance minister, her duty is to raise funds, a point she made when some members asked why tax should be levied on pan masala for the defense budget.
10 lakh people die every year from cigarettes in India
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 8 million people worldwide die prematurely every year due to smoking. In India, more than 1 million people die every year due to smoking. If the figures for deaths caused by the consumption of other tobacco products are also added, then approximately 1.35 million people die every year in India due to tobacco consumption.
According to University College, London, smoking is rapidly reducing people’s life expectancy. Smoking one cigarette reduces life by 20 minutes. And if someone smokes 10 cigarettes daily for 10 years, it means 500 days have been reduced from their life.
There are 253 million smokers in India, India ranks second after China in the list of countries with the highest tobacco consumption in the world. According to the World Health Organization, 253 million people aged 15 years or older smoke in India. Among these, approximately 200 million are men and 53 million are women.
Let’s look at the smoking rate data divided by age group and genders in the graphic.
Cigarettes are ruining the economy When there is a demand to ban alcohol and cigarettes in a country, the discussion also intensifies that a large part of the economy relies on the taxes received from them. Therefore, banning them is not easy. Whereas the truth is that diseases caused by alcohol and cigarettes increase the burden on the economy. See in the graphic how cigarettes are increasing the economic burden on the world.
How does cigarette smoking start? In films, smoking is portrayed as being associated with glamour, excitement, and intellect. That’s why teenagers are attracted to it. According to the American Cancer Society, 9 out of 10 people start smoking in their teenage years. Therefore, it is important for parents and teachers to make children aware of this.
What diseases are caused by smoking? Smoking causes a risk of more than 10 types of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and asthma. You might be surprised to know that cancer and heart disease are the biggest causes of death in the world.
Approximately 60 million people die every year worldwide. Among these, approximately 18 million deaths are due to heart disease, and 10 million deaths are due to cancer.
The only way to avoid all these diseases and deaths is to quit smoking.
