MyVoice: Views of our readers 31st May 2026

Let’s strive for a tobacco-free world

Althoughthere is a statutory warning on every packet that ‘cigarette smoking is injurious to health’, many people develop the habit and ruin their health. Even though the prices of cigarettes are increased in every budget, there is no decline in the habit. A major temptation for one to take the first puff comes after seeing their favourite actors smoking on the silver screen. As the world gears up for World No Tobacco Day, the campaign needs to move from larger pictorial health warnings to plain packaging. Tobacco is the only consumer product with no useful or beneficial qualities; rather it causes death and disability. India is sitting on a fast-ticking cancer time-bomb. Tobacco is the only product that loses one-third of its consumers to death or disability. Let us all take a pledge to wipe out this menace.

C K S J Maniam,Chennai-40

A deadly addiction that we continue to ignore

Dr Madhu Devarasetty

Itstarts with “One cigarette during stress; A packet of gutka after meals; Occasional smoking with friends”

Years later, the same habit can lead to a major surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, permanent lifestyle changes, and sometimes loss of life.

That is how tobacco works. Quietly! Slowly! Relentlessly!

The ‘silent epidemic’:

Tobacco kills more than seven million people every year globally. In India alone, tobacco accounts for nearly 1.35 million deaths annually. Tobacco affects nearly every organ in the body. It damages blood vessels, increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, weakens the lungs, and significantly increases the risk of multiple cancers. One in 4 cancer deaths is related to tobacco exposure and other lifestyle risk factors.

Tobacco-related cancers do not affect just one organ. They can involve the lips, tongue, cheeks, throat, vocal cords, lungs, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, bladder, and many other parts of the body.

As cancer surgeons we come across many such tobacco related cancers on a regular basis. What makes this particularly painful is that many of these cancers are preventable.

No form of tobacco is safe:

In India, especially in our region, smokeless tobacco products such as gutka, khaini, pan masala with tobacco, and chewing tobacco are used widely. Unfortunately, many people wrongly believe these products are safer compared to smoking. In reality, they are strongly associated with oral cancers, which are among the most common cancers in our country.

We must also recognize the growing concern of vaping and newer nicotine products among adolescents and young adults. These products are often marketed as fashionable or safer alternatives.

The paradigm shift:

One of the most heartbreaking realities today is the increasing number of younger patients developing tobacco-related cancers. We now see individuals in their thirties and forties suffering from diseases that could have been prevented.

Behind every diagnosis is a family facing emotional distress, financial burden, and uncertainty about the future.

You can still save your future:

A common regret is, “I have not taken the warning signs seriously”. Non-healing mouth ulcer, persistent hoarseness of voice, difficulty swallowing, unexplained weight loss, change in bowel habits, blood in urine and generalised weakness are warning signs that should never be ignored. They must immediately consult an oncologist.

Rather than lamenting, “I wish I had quit earlier,” one must remember that it is never too late to do something that is life changing. Quitting tobacco at any stage brings benefits. Within weeks, the body begins to recover. Breathing improves, circulation becomes better, and the future risk of cancer and heart disease gradually decreases. More importantly, quitting tobacco protects not only the individual but also the loved ones.

The not so easy way ahead:

Cancer may affect one person, but fighting it involves all of us - families, doctors, survivors, and society united as one.

Parents must openly discuss the dangers of tobacco with children; educational institutions should actively create awareness among youth; workplaces and public spaces should encourage tobacco-free environments, while healthcare workers must continue counselling patients about cessation and early screening.

The good news is that cancer treatment has advanced tremendously with modern surgery, robotic technology, targeted therapy, and improved radiation techniques.

However, no technology can fully erase the suffering caused by preventable tobacco-related diseases.

On this World No Tobacco Day, let us make a conscious decision — for ourselves, our families, and the next generation. If you use tobacco, seek help and take the first step toward quitting today; If you do not use tobacco, encourage and support someone who is trying to quit.

The best way to fight tobacco-related cancer is to prevent it before it begins. “Say no to tobacco; say yes to cancer-free world”.

(The writer is a senior consultant-Surgical Oncologist and Robotic surgeon)

Resolve mango’s standard disputes

Japan’srecent ban on Indian mango imports ends a 20-year trade run over treatment irregularities exposes a deeper vulnerability for our domestic growers. While Japan constitutes a small slice of India’s overall mango export value with the US, UAE and the UK dominating, the sudden loss of this premium market leaves local farmers reeling. Coupled with a struggling domestic market, our growers are subject to sharp financial losses. To safeguard agricultural livelihoods, the government must immediately upgrade vapour heat treatment facilities to resolve standard disputes. Furthermore, one must invest in localised processing infrastructure. Converting surplus harvests into high value pulps and concentrates will insulate vulnerable farmers from volatile geopolitical shifts and strict international quarantine blocks.

Dr Vijaykumar H K,Raichur-584170

Midday meal scheme for Inter students is good news

Telangana’sdecision to introduce a combined breakfast and midday meal scheme for Intermediate students is a transformative investment in adolescent education, nutrition, and equity. By targeting economically vulnerable students, the policy directly addresses a major cause of dropouts after Class 10. However, the scheme’s success will depend on quality implementation rather than the scale alone. Beyond calorie provision, the government should regularly track health and educational outcomes such as attendance, retention, anaemia reduction, and student well-being. Strong monitoring systems involving parents and local communities are essential to ensure food quality, hygiene, and regular supply. The menu can be strengthened further through greater protein diversity, such as eggs, sprouts, and locally sourced foods. Alongside nutrition, counselling and academic support should also be integrated to address the wider causes of student dropout. If implemented with accountability and consistency, Telangana can create a national model for adolescent education-linked social protection.

Sri Harsha Gajjarapu,Narayanpet

Let NGOs handle midday meals scheme

Throughthe ‘ Letters to the Editors column, I, would like to make an earnest appeal to the Chief Minister of Telangana to rope in the non-controversial NGOs like Sri Satyasai Annapoorna Trust, Akshayapatra Foundation and United Way of Hyderabad to implement this novel breakfast and midday meals scheme for Inter students in the state, for its effective implementation.

This is especially because government organisations like social, BC, tribal and minorities welfare departments have failed miserably to provide quality food and drinking water to students residing in welfare hostels.

This has resulted in major health complications, including hospitalisation. Moreover, these government welfare departments and their officials are found to be corrupt and incompetent.

On the other hand, the NGOs can do wonderfully well with their transparency.

R J Janardhana Rao,Hyderabad - 500028

IRDAI must monitor inept insurance firms

Thisrefers to “IRDAI ties insurer executive pays to customer outcomes, disclosure”. One of the most unfair practices by insurers is rejecting claims after major emergency surgeries on unrelated grounds. A 60-plus active professional collapsed near his office after sudden giddiness and was rushed to a reputed Delhi hospital. Doctors obtained immediate consent for life-saving brain surgery to prevent coma. Yet, the insurer rejected the claim citing non-disclosure of a previously treated skin disease that had absolutely no connection with the brain surgery.

More shockingly, while the claim was under process, the insurer renewed the same policy despite alleging non-disclosure. Such contradictions expose how technical grounds are misused to deny genuine claims.

This is not an isolated case as there are umpteen number of similar instances. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) must ensure that executive incentives are linked not merely to rejection ratios, but to fairness, accountability, and justice for policyholders.

N Nagarajan,Hyderabad-103

Is SIR a genuine exercise?

TheSupreme Court upheld the validity of the SIR exercise that was seen as a right process to ensure free and fair elections. The ECI is mandated by Article 324 and section 21(3) of Representation of People’s Act to ensure the sanctity of voters’ list, the SC held. But then, the SIR overstepped the due process and fairness in allowing an opportunity to voters to prove their right. If SIR is carried out, when elections are round the corner, the voters will hardly have the time to prove their genuineness. It was, hence, the timing of SIR and differential treatment given in adding of new voters or deleting of existing voters that became questionable as a non-transparent and arbitrary action of ECI.

P R Ravinder,Hyderabad

SIR is legal

TheSupreme Court has rightly upheld the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the Election Commission of India’s constitutional authority to conduct SIR across the country (Hans India dt 28-5-26). The Court has also clarified that it is the ECI’s constitutional duty to verify citizenship before including or excluding a name from the voter list. SIR is not an administrative burden but a necessity to match living and eligible voters with the roll, and to remove ghost voters, duplicate entries, and names of illegal immigrants who are not citizens. A clean roll protects the value of every genuine vote and strengthens public faith in democracy.

Ganti Venkata Sudhir,Secunderabad

SC’s SIR ruling is timely

TheSupreme Court has very rightly put an end to opposition criticism over implementation of SIR. It must be realised that the SIR exercise is being held after two decades. Several changes must have happened in the voters’ residences, which is a very important point. As regards deletion of lakhs of names in the voter lists, the Supreme Court has made a perfect observation that such lists must be forwarded to the ECI after giving sufficient time to the voters for rectifying the anomaly. Only after a second, such lists must be forwarded to the Ministry of Home affairs to ascertain the citizenship of the deleted names. The opposition should be more responsible at least now in co-operating with the ECI and the polling personnel to have the SIR done in the states without creating unnecessary apprehensions to the people.

Katuru Durga Prasad Rao,Hyderabad

ECI gets SC morale-booster

Theelection commission has got a morale booster in the form of the Supreme Court’s support regarding the process of special intensive review (SIR) of electoral rolls. The first and second phases of that exercise were completed leaving one with many doubts uncleared in the minds of many people, particularly that of opposition parties. Now the ground is prepared. If crores of people were in the deleted lists, then that figure can change the political landscape. Among the deleted lists, every eligible one should have been given ample time and a chance to get his name included. It’s time political parties and civil society turn proactive and vigilant when participating in the process.

Dr D V G Sankara Rao,Vizianagaram

Onboard catering services are shockingly unhygi

Onboard catering services are shockingly unhygienic

Itwas shocking to see a video posted online allegedly showing catering staff or contractual workers washing utensils inside the train premises of Train No.12223, the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT)-Ernakulam Duronto Express. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a notice to Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) after taking suo motu cognizance of the social media video. Many passengers rely on pantry food during their travel. With the utensils allegedly being washed in a toilet area, how can one expect quality food from IRCTC? The incident needs to be probed thoroughly, and strict action should be taken against people found guilty.

S Sankaranarayanan,Chennai 40