Ensure there's no conflict of interest of parliamentary panel members: Tobacco control forum to Houses

The Advocacy Forum for Tobacco Control (AFTC) has sent a letter to the speakers of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and political parties regarding the conflict of interest in nominating members for various parliamentary committees. It has said that there has been involvement of MPs with commercial or vested interests in the tobacco industry in reviewing tobacco control policies.

Tshering Bhutia, general manager (operations), Salaam Bombay Foundation, said, "We are writing in response to the recent reconstitution of the parliamentary committee on subordinate legislation (Lok Sabha). Recent media reports suggest that members from last year's committee have been re-appointed for another year's term."

Sixty-five pan-India tobacco control NGOs have placed the request to both Houses to ensure that any 'conflict of interest' of a committee member in any parliamentary committee be declared beforehand and appropriate action be taken.

In the letter, the AFTC has mentioned the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 5.3. It talks about implementing India's public health policies with respect to tobacco control, saying it must protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law.