📰 SC refuses to stop deportation of seven Rohingya Muslims
Myanmar has accepted them, says Addl. Solicitor General
•The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed an application to stop the government from deporting seven Rohingya men detained in Assam since 2012.
•A Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S.K. Kaul and K.M. Joseph refused to intervene in a plea by Mohammed Salimullah, speaking through advocate Prashant Bhushan, that a United Nations officer must be allowed to first talk to the seven men.
Foreigners Act
•Additional Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre, submitted that the men were prosecuted under the Foreigners Act, 1946, for illegally entering India. Myanmar has already accepted them as its nationals and issued them Certificates of Identity.
•The government, in a short affidavit, said the seven were housed in a detention centre since 2012. Now, they have been accepted by the country of their origin.
📰 ‘No trial in sewer death cases’
FIRs filed in only 35% cases & only 31% of families got compensation, study finds
•A sample study of deaths due to sewer and septic tank cleaning since 1992, shows that First Information Reports (FIR) were filed in only 35% of the cases; none led to a trial or prosecution of any sort. Only 31% of affected families received cash compensation, while none received the rehabilitation or alternative jobs to which they are entitled by law.
•The study was released on Thursday by the Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan (RGA) — an NGO partnering with the Union Ministry of Social Justice for an ongoing manual scavenging census —– and covered a sample group of 97 deaths in 51 incidents across 11 States. The NGO says it had identified 302 deaths in 140 incidents in those States, but admits the actual numbers could be even higher. The Ministry reported 323 deaths nationwide in 2017 alone.
Families recount
•On the sidelines of the release event, families of victims shared the personal tragedies.
•The Dalit community held hartals to protest the two deaths in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah in May 2009. Under pressure, the police registered an FIR and took the house’s owner into custody. The municipality promised compensation and permanent jobs for family members. A few months later, when the pressure died down, the owner was quietly released. The bereft family received no cash or jobs. Sanjeev told The Hindu, “If only the government will give me a permanent job, at least my parents will not have to do this work any more.”
•Kamala Devi’s family did not get any death certificate, FIR or compensation when her son Binod Dom died in a village septic tank in the Nalanda district in Bihar, in 2011. He left behind five children under seven years of age. “We used to do maila dhoni work, but we have given that up because of the garima (dignity) campaign. But we can’t get any other kind of job. Now, we are all daily wage cleaning workers. Even the children collect and sort garbage,” she said.
•“We are increasingly getting reports of deaths in septic tanks even from rural areas,” said Ashif Shaikh, RGA convenor. “When the government builds toilets through its Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, it is not taking into account the question of who will have to clean the septic tanks.”
•In some cases, an official cover-up meant there was no acknowledgement of a death. “My father worked with the nagar palika (municipality) as a sweeper and garbage collector. It wasn’t even his job to clean the septic tank, but his supervisor made him do it that day. He was sent in with a candle to check if it was cleaned out, and the gases in the tank caught fire,” said Pankaj Khare, who was only four years old when his father died in Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, in 1995.
•“The government was the employer, so how could we file an FIR? We didn’t even get a death certificate. We were not allowed to cremate him in the city because they wanted to avoid publicity; we had to go to a village outside the city,” he said, adding that his mother was paid ₹10,000 to “stay quiet.”
•The Safai Karamchari Finance and Development Corporation, under the Social Justice Ministry, will hold 200 camps across the country for sanitation workers to apprise them on the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, said its MD K. Narayan.
📰 Eyes on India
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia have unveiled strategies to forge closer economic ties with India
•Asia is in a state of flux. China’s Belt and Road Initiative is reshaping the region’s geography, with roads and railways traversing Eurasia and new ports dotting the Indian Ocean basin. Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea continues, despite negotiations towards a code of conduct.
•Japan has found itself in an unexpected leadership position, resuscitating the Trans-Pacific Partnership and concluding a trade agreement with the European Union. Tokyo is now contemplating constitutional revisions that would enable it to play a more overt military role.
•Amid these unfolding events, another series of developments risks being overshadowed. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia have all unveiled strategies to diversify their economic interdependence, away from mainland China and towards Southeast Asia and India.
•The motivations appear to be manifold. The most recent is the ongoing trade and tariff war between the U.S. and China. A longer-term concern is Beijing’s use of its economic muscle for political purposes, whether in suspending rare earth metal exports to Japan in 2010 or punishing a major South Korean corporation for Seoul’s decision to install a missile defence system in 2017. China’s limited market growth potential and questions of access and reciprocity are additional considerations.
•To this end, Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy is meant to diversify investments to more promising markets in Southeast Asia, India, and Africa. For his part, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has unveiled a New Southern Policy. Mr. Moon said during his visit to New Delhi that while the policy is focussed on Southeast Asia, it also “makes India Korea’s key partner for cooperation”. Similarly, Taiwan, a G20-sized economy whose political status is disputed, has announced a New Southbound Policy with significant accompanying investments in India by Taiwanese electronics manufacturers. Finally, Australia’s government has commissioned an ambitious India Economic Strategy with the goal of making India its third-largest investment destination and export destination by 2035. While not driven by short-term necessities, political concerns are increasingly informing economic preferences.
•Politically, therefore, the stars are aligning in Asia for the acceleration of India’s economic growth. Investors, increasingly backed by their governments, are increasingly focussed on the Indian market. But with more protectionist sentiments taking root, a legacy of poorly-negotiated trade deals, a general election around the corner, and uneven economic liberalisation, the likelihood of India taking full advantage of these opportunities remains slim.
📰 India, Russia set to sign three major deals amid U.S. threat
The 24-hour visit could have lasting implications on the India-U.S. relationship.
•Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Delhi on Thursday for the annual India-Russia summit which could see the signing of military deals totalling close to $10 billion; a 24-hour visit that could have lasting implications for the India-U.S. relationship as well.
•On Friday, India and Russia are expected to conclude three major military deals: for five S-400 missile systems estimated to cost about ₹39,000 crore (more than $5 billion), four stealth frigates and a deal for Ak-103 assault rifles to be manufactured in India. The U.S. has warned that the deals could attract sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) law that restricts defence purchases from Russia, Iran and North Korea.
•India has been in negotiations with the U.S. administration for a “sanctions waiver”, but American officials have given no clear signal they will provide one. Last month, President Donald Trump’s administration imposed sanctions on China as it started taking delivery of Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 systems.
Tightrope walk
•The breadth of agreements, including the S-400 deal, during Mr. Putin’s visit is seen as a reiteration of India’s desire for “strategic autonomy” that was highlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech this year. It comes a month after the inaugural 2+2 dialogue with the U.S., in which India signed the third foundational agreement — Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) — in addition to announcing several measures to operationalise the Major Defence Partner status, indicative of the difficult balance India hopes to maintain amid deepening U.S.-Russia tensions.
•On Wednesday Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa said that once the Defence Ministry signs the contract, deliveries of the S-400 systems would begin in 24 months. In October 2016, the two countries concluded Inter-Governmental Agreements (IGA) for S-400 systems and four stealth frigates after which the negotiations began to conclude a commercial contract.
•Mr. Putin and Mr. Modi will meet on Friday for a “working breakfast” followed by delegation-level talks. They are expected to witness the signing of at least 23 agreements, an official said, including Memoranda of Understanding for investment deals, a major agreement on space cooperation where Russia will assist India with its ‘Gaganyaan’ programme to put a human in space, an MoU for Road Transport and the Road Industry, as well as one for cooperation on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
•Officials say that nuclear power cooperation, one of the cornerstones of India-Russia ties, will be discussed, but the announcement of new sites for the next phase of Kudankulam reactors is yet to be finalised due to “land acquisition issues.”
•Both leaders will also meet with young Indian and Russian student “geniuses” who have excelled in studies, as part of an educational exchange programme.
•Officials said a discussion on the way forward in Afghanistan, including Moscow’s push for talks with the Taliban is likely to come up for discussions as well. Mr. Putin and Mr. Modi will address a business summit in the capital before the Russian President departs on Friday evening.
📰 Hasina gets Modi’s assurance
‘People left out of NRC exercise will not be sent to Dhaka’
•Bangladesh said on Thursday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured Dhaka that people left out in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam would not be deported to the country.
•“Prime Minister Modi has personally reassured our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” said H.T. Imam, Political Adviser to the Bangladesh Prime Minister.
•Speaking to a global media delegation in the Office of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the influential Political Adviser to Ms. Hasina said Dhaka had also been repeatedly assured on similar lines by other Indian representatives, including the High Commissioner of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
•Mr. Imam declined to reveal when precisely the Indian leader assured his Bangladesh counterpart.
•He took note of comments by BJP President Amit Shah, who had described illegal immigrants from Bangladesh to India as “termites.”
•Mr. Amit Shah’s use of the term was his own expression meant to cater to domestic political constituency, he said.
•The BJP on Thursday avoided a direct answer to a question on Prime Minister Modi’s reported assurance to his Bangladeshi counterpart. Party spokesperson Sambit Patra said he “did not know of any such conversation between the two premiers.” He only knew the Indian law which said illegal immigrants were to be deported.
📰 Saudi Arabia to invest in oil refinery in Gwadar
•Saudi Arabia will invest in a new oil refinery in Pakistan’s growing deep-sea port of Gwadar, Islamabad announced on Thursday.
•The agreement follows a visit last month by Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Imran Khan to the Gulf kingdom as he seeks to attract foreign investment.
•The Saudis “have shown interest that they want to immediately invest in (the) refinery”, Petroleum Minister Sarwar Khan said.
•“This has been agreed from both sides.”
•The agreement is set to be signed between Pakistan State Sil and Riyadh’s State oil giant Saudi Aramco.
•Gwadar’s port is being developed as part of the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an ambitious plan to build energy and transport links connecting the western Chinese region of Xinjiang with the Arabian Sea via Pakistan, as part of Beijing’s broader Belt and Road initiative.
•Gwadar is part of Pakistan’s mineral rich southwestern Balochistan province.
📰 Use your face to zip through airports
Voluntary facility to be rolled out from Feb. 2019
•A mere facial scan will soon enable air travellers to skip long queues and zip through various check points at airports in the country. The Centre is set to introduce the “Digi Yatra” facility to start with at the Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports in February.
•The facility, which is voluntary, would require passengers to initially register themselves at a web portal by providing an identity proof, Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, R. N. Choubey told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. The travellers would then be required to undergo a one-time verification at an airport. Following which, the individual’s facial identity would be captured and mapped onto a newly created “Digi Yatra” profile and a distinct identification number would be generated.
•Passengers would then have to provide this identification number at the time of purchasing an air ticket, to avail the paperless access facility.
Scan a QR code
•The Ministry’s “Digi Yatra” initiative, or biometric-enabled digital processing of passengers, would enable travellers to enter the airport building by scanning a QR code on their mobile phones, after undergoing facial recognition.
•Once inside the airport, a passenger would be able to self check-in, drop baggage, pass through e-gates to access security and embarkation areas with just a facial scan, thus obviating the need to produce a boarding pass at every step.
•However, travellers would still have to undergo mandatory security checks including frisking.
•The web portal is scheduled to be ready by February 2019 and Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports would be the first to implement the digital processing of passengers.
•The facility would thereafter be also made available at four other airports — Kolkata, Varanasi, Vijayawada and Pune.
•Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said that a passenger’s travel history would be “purged” after the completion of a journey and that the “Digi Yatra” programme would comply with the European Union’s Data Protection Regulation.
📰 Mutated virus may have killed Gir lions
First time in many years that so many deaths have been attributed to a virus
•While Gujarat officials are grappling with the death of 21 lions in the last month, wildlife experts say that more than the numbers it’s the fear of a mutation in a virus as the likely cause of deaths that’s perturbing.
•In 1994, the Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) was responsible for an epidemic in the Serengetti region of Africa, where 1,000 lions died in 3 weeks. While the virus abounds in local tiger populations in Gujarat and is linked to deaths every year, this year it has seen a spike.
•This is the first time in years, that so many deaths have been attributed to the virus, said Y.S. Jhala, a senior scientist, an expert on lions, at the WildlifeInstitute of India.
•“Rumours are that it maybe a new mutation …that may have jumped a host from dogs to lions. But it’s still to be confirmed,” he said in a phone conversation.
•The WII, which is a body under the Union Environment Ministry, had sent a member as part of a Central team to investigate the lion deaths.
•The last lion census in 2015 recorded 523 individuals and with a 3% growth, there were about 600 at present, said H.S. Singh, a member of the National Board for Wildlife. However, every year 80-90 lions died due to various causes. “For members in the cat family, a 20% (annual) death rate would still see the species’ overall numbers increase,” Mr. Singh told The Hindu. Last year there were 100 deaths and before that 80, he added.
•There’s no official estimate so far of how many lions have died this year.
•Because many of the Gir lions live outside protected areas and are in contact with domestic dwellings, their susceptibility to new pathogens has risen, he said.
•Being a virus, there’s no specific treatment and the government was importing a vaccine from the United States as a preventive measure against future outbreaks. Mr. Jhala cautioned against the use of a vaccine.
•“It would be stupid to vaccinate wild lions because it’s likely to compromise their immunity against future infections. These are wild animals and not ones in a zoo,” he added.
•According to the State Forest Department, 11 lions died between September 12 to 19 in Gir’s Dalkhania and Jasadhar range. Out of those 11 deaths, carcasses of seven lions were found in the forest areas while four lions died during treatment.
•Moreover between September 20 to 30, 10 more lions rescued from Dalkhania range have died during the treatment, taking the toll to 21.
📰 Fields of concern — on MSP for kharif crops
Higher minimum support prices often do not translate into better returns for farmers
•Within months of announcing generous hikes in the minimum support price (MSP) for several crops in the kharif summer season, the NDA government on Wednesday approved an increase in the MSP offered for rabi crops. These increases mark a sharp change from the cautious approach adopted by the Narendra Modi government in raising MSPs during the first half of its tenure. The latest hikes are generous, even if they are moderate compared to those fixed for the kharif crop. By way of comparison, the highest increase over the previous kharif season’s MSP was 52.5% for the cereal ragi. Now the highest season-on-season hike for the rabi crops is 20.6% for safflower. The MSP for wheat has been raised 6.1%, or ₹105 a quintal. For mustard, gram and masur dal, the increases are between 5% and 5.3%. The government says that with these prices, it has delivered on its promise that farmers will get a price at least 150% above their cost of production, and that their incomes will be doubled over time. The rabi crop will be planted in November, by which time Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (large producers of wheat and mustard, respectively) will be firmly in campaign mode. The BJP, which has to deal with anti-incumbency in both these States, has faced some flak over the Madhya Pradesh government’s handling of farmer agitations. Clearly, it is now riding on the hope that the new MSPs will bolster its farmer-friendly credentials and further its prospects at the hustings.
•It is no coincidence that the hikes were announced a day after thousands of angry farmers descended on New Delhi, stopped only by the use of water cannons and teargas. This is the latest in a long string of instances that signals the existence of underlying agrarian distress. But it is not merely the lack of adequate prices for farm output that has led to restiveness — the rise in costs of inputs such as fertilizers and diesel is also a reason for this. India’s farm sector has multiple stress points, and ground-level procurement often does not take place at stipulated support prices. Barring paddy and, to a lesser extent, wheat, the MSP formula doesn’t work for most crops in the absence of substantial direct procurement by the government. Market prices for cotton are currently close to the MSP, but this is largely because of traders betting that export demand will rise due to the U.S.-China trade war. A robust mechanism that actually helps farmers get the declared MSP for a crop is being pursued through a price deficiency payment scheme and a private procurement plan. But this is still in a nascent stage and is not adequate. There needs to be a holistic reboot of the agriculture sector, particularly to address the restrictive trading policies and excessive government interventions that deter productivity enhancements.
📰 Next steps at Gir
A geographically separate population of Asiatic lions needs to be created
•The magnificent Asiatic lion is under threat. Twenty-three lions have died in as many days in the eastern part of Gujarat’s Gir sanctuary. While mass mortalities in wildlife are always a cause for concern, this case is even more worrisome as the big cat population in Gujarat is the last of the Asiatic lions in the wild.
•In 2013, the Supreme Court had issued an order that lions from Gujarat be relocated to the Kuno sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh as a check against the threat of epidemic. But even wild animals are subject to State politics. Gujarat has been unwilling to part with its lions, calling them “its pride” in an affidavit.
•Following the series of deaths, preliminary reports said that the cats have been killed by disease, most likely to be infectious. Some others have died due to poisoning and infighting. On October 3, the Supreme Court, noting that the death of so many lions was a serious matter, asked the Central government to look into it.
New-age conservation
•In its 2013 order, the Supreme Court had said: “Asiatic lion, it has been noticed, has been restricted to only one single habitat, i.e. the Gir National Forest and its surrounding areas and an outbreak of possible epidemic or natural calamity might wipe off the entire species. A smaller population with limited genetic strength are more vulnerable to diseases and other catastrophes in comparison to large and widespread population.” The court also noted how 30% of the lion population in Tanzania’s Serengeti was killed due to an outbreak of canine distemper, a viral disease that affects animals. Gujarat’s response to this was that lions are now spread over the Greater Gir region and this reduces the threat. It has also had an intense, managerial response to the disease — when ill, lions are routinely picked up, medically treated, and then released.
•Wildlife conservation concerns itself with maintaining ecological processes and reducing threats to endangered species. It does not entail treating wild animals for disease (in the way domestic animals are) as this can go against the processes of natural selection. Treating wild animals appears to be a caring thing to do. But it is not conducive to the ‘natural’ process of life and death, and ultimately compromises immunity. Another celebrity example of this kind of management was Machli, the tigress from Ranthambhore in Rajasthan. Known as the world’s most photographed tigress, she lived for 20 years before her death in 2016. This is because she was treated medically, and often fed artificially.
•To be fair to Gujarat, the lines of what comprises wildlife conservation are getting blurred. When wild animals go extinct locally, they are reintroduced — as in the case of tigers in Sariska, Rajasthan. When hungry, they are fed artificially, and even provided salts as supplements, an example being the Hangul (Red deer) population in Dachigam, Jammu and Kashmir. In other parts of India, wild animals are funnelled through artificial trenches, barriers and fences. This is wildlife conservation in the age of man, where protected areas sometimes resemble zoos.
•Yet even the most flexible of conservationists would agree that intensive artificial medical treatment of wild animals does not augur well for long-term sustainability. The role of wildlife managers should be to reduce unnatural threats, not unnaturally prolong life. While Gujarat has done a good job of conserving its lions, it should also turn its attention to reducing the drivers of disease, which includes controlling feral dog populations.
On metapopulations
•Gujarat submitted before the Supreme Court that one of the reasons it did not want to part with the lions was because there are metapopulations in the State. Metapopulations may be geographically separate but have interactions and an exchange of individuals. Gujarat had said to the Supreme Court, “Current Asiatic lion population is not a single population confined to one place.” It consists of “metapopulation spread over several locations within the Greater Gir Region”, adding that “good conservation practices and intensive wildlife healthcare, has lead to epidemic free regime”. Crucially though, these areas are connected to each other and this does not address the main concern of creating geographically distant populations.
•Undoubtedly, after the lion deaths, Gujarat should work towards colonising new habitats outside the Gir landscape within the State. However, there are spatial limitations in this industrialised State. An option is the Barda wildlife sanctuary. But Barda is close to Gir, and this cannot be confused with creating isolated populations. It would simply mean increasing suitable lion range from its present, much smaller area.
•Finally, there is no getting around the fact that a geographically separate population of Asiatic lions needs to be created. A good track record for lion conservation does not in any way preclude a good long-term strategy.
📰 Crafting excellence
Four new National Institutes of Design are to be set up
•The Union Cabinet in September approved amendments to the National Institute of Design (NID) Act of 2014 for the setting up of four new institutes in Amaravati, Bhopal, Jorhat and Kurukshetra.
•The proposal is a calibrated move to produce highly skilled manpower in design. The 2014 Act, which provided statutory backing to the Ahmedabad NID would, with parliamentary nod, extend to the four new NIDs.
•The statement of objective of the 2014 Act said the Ahmedabad NID is an institute of “national importance” for the promotion of quality and excellence in education, research and training in all disciplines relating to design. The proposed four new NIDs would also strive to meet the same standards of educational excellence.
•These institutes are meant to provide “sustainable design interventions for crafts, handloom, rural technology, small, medium and large scale enterprises; and outreach programmes for capacity, capability and institution building”.
•The NIDs are keeping with the vision of the National Design Policy approved in February 2007.
•The policy called for promotion of Indian design through a well-defined and managed regulatory, promotional and institutional framework.
•It recommended the setting up of specialised design centres or ‘innovation hubs’ for sectors such as automobile and transportation, jewellery, leather and soft goods. These hubs would provide common facilities and enabling tools, along with financial support through mechanisms like venture funding, loans and market development assistance.
•The policy document had called for the formulation of a scheme to set up these hubs in select locations, especially in backward States, “particularly in the Northeast”.
•The Act of 2014 had expressed the legislative intent to set up a design institute with a view to spreading quality education, in keeping with the current economic and academic paradigms. In this context, the policy had suggested the public-private partnership mode as an option.
•The policy had mentioned the need for a mechanism to recognise and fete industry achievers.
📰 India ranked 5th in pictorial warning on tobacco products
Canadian Cancer Society releases international status report
•India has been ranked fifth in the listing of countries that have pictorial health warning on tobacco products, with experts here quick to add that the country is making tremendous progress towards creating public awareness on the health hazards of tobacco abuse.
•‘The Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status Report’ was released recently by the Canadian Cancer Society which documents global progress on plain packaging. It has ranked 206 countries and territories on the size of their health warnings on cigarette packages, and lists countries and territories that require graphic picture warnings.
•East Timor is ranked first with 85% of the front and 100% of the back of the packaging being used for pictorial warnings. Nepal follows with 90% coverage on both sides. Indian packaging has the warning on 85% of both sides. The report found that 118 countries and territories have now made picture health warnings on cigarette packages mandatory, up from 100 in 2016. Canada was the first to insist on picture health warnings in 2001.
•India, meanwhile, is the only SAARC country to have a Quit-Line number on tobacco products and the fourth in Asia after Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
•“This is because of the Union Health Ministry’s notification on the new set of 85% pictorial health warnings for mandatory display on both sides of the packet of cigarettes, bidis and chewing tobacco with effect from September 1, 2018. Government of India for the first time introduced Quit-Line number to be printed on all tobacco products,” said Binoy Mathew of the Voluntary Health Association of India, an organisation working in the area of tobacco control.
Quit-Line number
•“The pack warning will help to warn people, especially the illiterate and children, about the harms of tobacco consumption. The Quit-Line number will help those who want to quit,” said Dr. Harit Chaturvedi, chairman, surgical oncology, Max Health Care, New Delhi.
•The current pictorial warnings on both sides of all packets of cigarettes, bidis and all forms of chewing tobacco products in India came into effect in April 2016 on the direction of the Rajasthan High Court and, subsequently, the Supreme Court of India.
•“India has demonstrated global leadership by implementing the quit-line number on all tobacco packages... India will serve as a very positive model for other countries, thus benefiting public health worldwide,” said Bhavna Mukhopadhyay, chief executive, Voluntary Health Association of India. She said pictorial health warnings on tobacco products are the most cost-effective tool for educating people on the health risks of tobacco use.
•“In a country like India, where people use several languages and dialects, the pictorial warning transcends the language and in many cases also the illiteracy barrier. The 85% pictorial warnings on all cigarettes, bidis and chewing tobacco packages manufactured and sold in India have resulted in 92% of adults (surveyed under GATS 2016-2017) believing that smoking caused serious illness and 96% saying use of smokeless tobacco causes serious illness,” she noted.
