NATIONAL TOBACCO CONTROL PROGRAMME

The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year around the world. More than
million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. Around 80% of the 1.1
billion smokers worldwide live in low- and middle income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest. Tobacco use contributes to poverty by
diverting household spending from basic needs such as food and shelter to tobacco.