Spending on treating such diseases is just a little less than revenue from tobacco products; Union health minister, Harsh Vardhan, says he would press for increase in tax on such products India spent Rs 16,800 crore in 2011 to treat tobacco-related diseases. Cardiovascular diseases shared the highest burden of such diseases, costing Rs 3,600 crore by way of public health spending, followed closely by respiratory diseases (Rs 2,800 crore), tuberculosis (Rs 2,300 crore), and cancers (Rs 1,400 crore). The proportion of men seeking treatment for such ailments was much higher than women. Highlighting the huge loss incurred by India on account of consumption of tobacco, a report— Economic Burden of Tobacco Related Diseases in India—says that the overall economic burden due to tobacco was Rs 1,04,500 crore. This was 1.6 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. It was 12 per cent more than the combined states’ and Central government’s expenditure on health. Releasing the report, prepared by Public Health Foundation of India, in collaboration with Government of India and World Health Organization, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said he will make efforts to reduce consumption of tobacco in India.

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