Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi replying to a question of BJP legislator Tanakdhar Tripathy in the State Assembly Monday made an alarming revelation.

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Reeling out the numbers, the CM said in the year 2024, Odisha government has earned Rs 1,047 cr as tax revenue on products like smokeless tobacco (Gutka) and pan masalas. 

In the year 2024-25, the State’s own tax revenue have been estimated at Rs 60,000cr, and the tax revenue generated via the sale of gutka and pan masalas account for over 1.75% of the total own tax revenue collected in the last financial year. 

The CM further stated that in the last 10-years, the gutka, pan masala revenue had been around Rs 6500 cr. Data shows the smokeless tobacco and pan masala revenue has been on the rise in the State.

ODISHA MODERATE CONSUMER OF PAN MASALA

Pan masala, a betel quid, generally contains betel leaf, areca/betel nut (or supari) and slaked lime, and may or may not contain tobacco. The other substances they contain are cardamom, saffron, cloves, aniseed, turmeric, mustard or sweeteners etc

As per a report by Pune based CMI market research agency, north India has been the biggest consumer of pan masala, and it has listed Odisha a moderate consuming state.

Pan masala are available in market in two forms – with and without tobacco. Some of the major selling products in the State are:

• Vimal: this brand offer two products Vimal and V1, while the first one doesn’t contain tobacco, the second one has it as a prime ingredient
• Rajnigandha: No tobacco
• Baba 120: contains chewing tobacco
• Star 555: contains tobacco
• Parag 9000: contains tobacco
• Rajshree: no tobacco
• Paan Bahar: no tobacco
• Pan parag: comes in two format – Panparag and PP1, while the former contains no tobacco, the second contains tobacco.
• Raj Niwas: no tobacco, no nicotine

GUTKA SOLD IN ODISHA

Most sold in the State market are:

• Meenajee mawa
• Chaini

NFHS – 5 SURVEY 2021 FACTS

A glance at the data released by the National family Health Survey -5 shows big.

• 51.7% of men age 15+ years consume any form of tobacco
• Odisha is second tobacco consuming state in the country by a fraction only, as Assam tops with 51.9%
• 26% women age 15+ years consume any form of tobacco
• In 23 districts, over half of men use tobacco in any form (smoke, smokeless)
• The districts are Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Keomjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balsore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsighpur, Cuttack, Khordha (including BHUBANESWAR), Puri, Nayagarh, Kandhmal, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur.

TOBACCO CONSUMPTION IN ODISHA ON RISE?

A glance at the national Health Family Surveys gives the insight.

In the year 2005-06, tobacco consumption in Odisha was Men – 68%, Women – 31.4%

In the year 2015-16, the consumption of tobacco in any form was Men – 55.9%, Women- 17.3%

In the year 2019-21, the consumption of tobacco in any form has been Men – 51.7%, Women – 26%

The above data shows consumption of gutka, pan masala has posted a rise among women in the State between 2021 and 2015.

GUTKA/PAN MASALA ODISHA BURDEN

As per a study title “Burden of Tobacco-related cancers in India and its States 2015-2025, Odisha is projected to figure among the top 5-states in the country with high incidence of tobacco-related cancers. View the table below.

The study data projection shows tobacco related cancer incidence in Odisha has been an enormity.

In the above backdrop, Odisha govt has to ban tobacco containing pan masala products, and a rise in sale of non tobacco containing pan masala will take care of government’s coffer.  

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