TBT DESK

To build a tobacco-free young generation, it is essential to pass the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 into an Act. The demands of the youth regarding tobacco control will be raised in Parliament with due importance.
These remarks were made by State Minister for Primary and Mass Education, Bobby Hajjaj, MP, as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Government Commitments and Public Expectations in Controlling Tobacco-Related Non-Communicable Diseases for Public Health Protection”, organized by Dhaka Ahsania Mission in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, on Tuesday (April 7, 2026).

He stated that necessary steps will be taken in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget to effectively increase the prices of tobacco products so that they become unaffordable for children and adolescents. He also assured that measures will be taken to prevent the sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of schools and colleges.
The seminar featured Professor Dr. Shafiun Nahin Shimul, Director of the Institute of Health Economics at the University of Dhaka, as a discussant. The welcome address was delivered by Iqbal Masud, Director of the Health and WASH Sector at Dhaka Ahsania Mission.
Dr. Shafiun Nahin Shimul said that under the current circumstances, increasing tobacco product prices as proposed could generate more than BDT 85,000 crore in revenue—BDT 44,000 crore higher than the current fiscal year.
Iqbal Masud emphasized that tobacco control cannot be ignored in ensuring public health protection. Without reducing tobacco use, it is impossible to safeguard public health. In line with the government’s election manifesto, it is crucial to pass the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 in its original form to control non-communicable diseases and implement the WHO FCTC.
Speakers at the seminar also demanded that provisions banning e-cigarettes be included in the bill and that it be presented and passed into law during the current parliamentary session to prevent tobacco-related non-communicable diseases and protect the youth from the grip of e-cigarettes.
In the keynote presentation, Shariful Islam, Coordinator of the Tobacco Control Project at Dhaka Ahsania Mission, stated that 37.8 million people in the country use tobacco, leading to approximately 546 premature deaths every day due to tobacco-related diseases. Additionally, the economic loss from tobacco-related health and environmental damage amounts to around BDT 87,000 crore.
To discourage youth from tobacco use, proposals were made for the 2026–27 fiscal budget to merge the mid- and low-tier cigarette categories, set the retail price of a 10-stick pack at BDT 100, and impose a specific tax of BDT 4 per pack across all tiers.
He further added that passing the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Ordinance would help prevent these losses. Implementing the proposed tobacco tax recommendations could prevent approximately 185,408 premature deaths among adults and 185,335 among youth in the long term.
The seminar was chaired by Professor Dr. Golam Rahman, President of Dhaka Ahsania Mission. Among others who spoke were Marjana Muntaha, Coordinator of the Ahsania Mission Youth Forum, and member Tasnim Hasan Abir.