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Tuesday | March 10, 2026 | Dhaka

20,000 citizens urge govt to enact Tobacco Control Ordinance in first parliamentary dession

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 6:39 PM, 10 March 2026  Updated: 6:40 PM, 10 March 2026

Nearly 20,000 citizens from across Bangladesh have called on the government to swiftly enact the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 as a law in the first session of the National Parliament.

An application bearing the signatures of citizens from diverse professions was submitted on Monday to the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, the Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, and the Prime Minister’s Office.

The petition was submitted on behalf of physicians, teachers, students, youth, women, journalists and business professionals by several anti-tobacco organisations, including Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP), National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, Nari Maitree, PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) and Tamak Birodhi Nari Jote (TABINAJ).

In the application, the signatories said tobacco use remains one of the leading causes of non-communicable diseases in the country, including cancer, heart disease and lung-related illnesses.

They noted that nearly 200,000 people die each year in Bangladesh from diseases linked to tobacco consumption.

According to the petition, the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 has already been issued to strengthen existing tobacco control measures and enhance protection of public health. However, the signatories warned that if the ordinance is not adopted in the first session of Parliament, it will automatically lapse.

Representatives of the anti-tobacco organisations stressed that the swift passage of the ordinance into law is essential to safeguard children, women and the younger generation from the harmful effects of tobacco.

They also urged the authorities concerned to take immediate and effective steps to ensure the ordinance is enacted into law without delay, saying it would also help Bangladesh fulfil its international commitments on tobacco control.