Mohammed Nasim has assured anti-tobacco campaigners of steps to make cigarette companies print graphic warnings on the upper parts of their product packets instead of the lower half.
Published : 30 May 2016, 12:37 AM
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The health minister gave the assurance at the Tobacco Control Journalism Award 2016 programme in Dhaka on Sunday.
Anti-tobacco organisations Progga and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance, ATMA, organised the programme to mark World No Tobacco Day.
The minister said ministries were working together to implement Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s promise to free Bangladesh of tobacco by 2040.
National Heart Foundation founder National Professor Abdul Malik was also present.
Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique was the chief of the jury.
The others on the jury were Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids consultant Md Shariful Alam, Progga Executive Director ABM Zubayer and ATMA Convenor bdnews24.com Chief Crimes Correspondent Mortuza Haider Liton.
The government had made it mandatory for the cigarette firms to print the pictorial warning on the upper half of the packets.
But it later eased the rule to temporarily let them carry the warning on the lower half from Mar 19, a move widely criticised by the anti-tobacco campaigners.
According to the rules, the cigarette companies will also have to change the graphics every three months. The first phase ends on June 19.
The health minister said it was not only his ministry’s duty to act against tobacco.
“Law, home, finance and several other ministries are related to the issue,” he said.
Professor Malik said there was no alternative to avoiding tobacco to keep the next generation healthy.
Arefin Siddique greeted the award winners.
Daily Samakal Deputy Editor Mozammel Hossain Monju presided over the programme moderated by ATMA Joint Convenor ATN Bangla Chief Reporter Nadira Kiron.
The Coordinator of Progga spoke about the Day’s theme for this year – plain packaging.
The winners of the award under the local reports category this year are banglanews24.com Lalmonirhat Correspondent Khorshed Alam Sagar and Sylheter Dak Staff Reporter Sunil Singha.
Daily Jugantor Staff Reporter Hamid-uz-Zaman Mamoon won the award under the Bangla report category in the print media for his reports published while he was with daily Janakantha.
Daily Nayadiganta Senior Correspondent Ziaul Haque Mizan shared the award with him.
The Financial Express Special Correspondent Daulat Akter Mala and The Daily Star Lalmonirhat Correspondent S Dilip Roy shared the award in the English report category.
Boishakhi TV Senior Correspondent Rita Nahar and Desh TV Senior Correspondent Jharna Roy received the award in the TV category.
Nasim handed crests, certificates and cheques of Tk 50,000 to each of the winners.