Passage of draft amendments to Tobacco Control Act demanded 

Shirin Akhter MP, general secretary of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, has demanded a quick passage of draft amendments to the Tobacco Control Act to make Bangladesh tobacco-free.
 
"The draft amendments to the act should be passed quickly to materialise the Prime Minister's promise," she said, at a press conference arranged by Dhaka Ahsania Mission at the National Press Club on Tuesday.
 
PM Sheikh Hasina has promised to make Bangladesh tobacco-free by 2040.
 
Shirin Akhter, a lawmaker from Feni-1 Constituency, said various institutions can take the initiative to make their institutions tobacco-free. "It will set an example if iconic institutions like the National Parliament or National Press Club can be made completely smoke-free," she added.
 
Taking into account the health risks to tobacco workers, initiatives should be taken to reduce tobacco production, she said.
 
The draft amendments of the act were made available on the website of the health ministry for stakeholder comments. More than 15,000 organisations and people from different walks of life including parliamentarians and doctors have expressed their full support for the amendments.
 
Opposing the amendments, tobacco companies are running various disinformation campaigns and creating public unrest by spreading misleading information through the media, anti-tobacco campaigners said at the event.

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK)-Bangladesh's Lead Policy Advisor, Md Mostafizur Rahman, said the initiative taken by the ministry to bring further amendments to the Tobacco Control Act is undoubtedly a timely and public-oriented initiative, but it still remains a draft.
 
"Journalists are expected to present a positive campaign in favour of the amendment so the act is quickly passed to protect public health and the national interest," he added.
 
General Secretary of Dhaka Reporters Unity, Nurul Islam Hasib, said one of the ways to reduce the use of tobacco is to enact a strict tobacco control law.
 
Law Reporters Forum (LRF) General Secretary, Ahammed Sarwar Hossain Bhuiyan, said there is no alternative to amending the Tobacco Control Act to protect the public from the harm of second-hand smoke.
 
KSM Tarique, joint director, Health & WASH Sector, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, presided over the press conference.