SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has a lower prevalence of tobacco use than the national average and ranks in the lower-middle bracket among Indian States and Union Territories in terms of adult tobacco consumption, according to data placed before Parliament.
In a written reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that 23.7 per cent of adults aged 15 years and above in Jammu and Kashmir consume tobacco in some form. This is significantly below the national average of 28.6 per cent recorded in the Global Adult Tobacco Survey-2 conducted in 2016–17.
Based on the State-wise prevalence figures, Jammu and Kashmir stands well below high-burden States in the North-East and eastern India, such as Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Odisha, Assam and Jharkhand, where tobacco use ranges between over 38 per cent and 64.5 per cent. It also fares better than large northern and central States such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. At the same time, its prevalence remains higher than that of States such as Kerala, Punjab, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, placing Jammu and Kashmir broadly in the lower-middle range nationally in terms of tobacco consumption.
The data was shared by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav in response to a question by MP Swati Maliwal on the status of tobacco consumption and control measures in the country. The minister said tobacco use in India continues to be dominated by smokeless products, with khaini accounting for 11.2 per cent of adult use, followed by gutkha at 6.8 per cent and betel quid with tobacco at 5.8 per cent. Cigarette smoking accounts for about 4 per cent of adult consumption nationally, while bidi use stands at 7.7 per cent.
On tobacco control funding, the government said implementation at the grassroots level is carried out by States and Union Territories under the National Tobacco Control Programme through the non-communicable disease flexipool of the National Health Mission. Total national allocations for tobacco and NCD-related interventions rose steadily from Rs 66.03 crore in 2020–21 to a peak of Rs 128.26 crore in 2023–24, before moderating to Rs 108.76 crore in 2024–25. For Union Territories such as Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre bears 100 per cent of the programme cost.
The ministry said enforcement of tobacco control laws continues under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, and the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019. As part of enforcement, the statutory ban on the sale of tobacco products within 100 metres of educational institutions is being implemented across States and Union Territories. Nationwide, reported violations under this provision rose sharply to over 92,000 in 2022–23, before declining to around 44,000 in 2024–25, indicating stricter monitoring followed by improved compliance.
India currently has more than 2,000 Tobacco Cessation Centres functioning at the district level under the combined efforts of the National Tobacco Control Programme, the National Medical Commission and the National Dental Commission. These centres, along with a national toll-free quitline operating in 16 languages, cater to tobacco users seeking counselling and cessation support, including in Jammu and Kashmir.
On the fiscal side, the government said tobacco-related tax revenues are collected by the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance, with year-wise and State-wise figures placed separately before Parliament. While specific Jammu and Kashmir figures were not cited in the reply, the Centre indicated that tobacco taxation remains a key deterrence and revenue instrument alongside public health measures.
Nationally, tobacco continues to generate substantial indirect tax revenues for the exchequer despite sustained public health efforts to curb consumption. Under the GST regime, suppliers of tobacco and tobacco products, including cigarettes, bidis, chewing tobacco and pan masala, paid a total of Rs 65,730 crore in GST and compensation cess in 2022–23, up sharply from Rs 37,491 crore in 2017–18, the first year of GST implementation.
Collections rose steadily over the years, touching Rs 52,449 crore in 2018–19, Rs 53,540 crore in 2019–20, and Rs 56,198 crore in 2021–22, reflecting both higher tax rates and continued consumption. Prior to GST, excise duty collections from tobacco and tobacco products showed a long-term upward trend, rising from Rs 12,526 crore in 2008–09 to Rs 21,719 crore in 2016–17. With the subsuming of excise duties into GST, central excise collections fell sharply thereafter, but overall tax mobilisation from tobacco remained robust through GST and compensation cess, underscoring the sector’s continued fiscal significance even as the government positions taxation as a deterrence tool under its tobacco control strategy.
