Dhaka: Anti-tobacco campaigners at a programme in Dhaka on Thursday stressed the need for proper implementation of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Rule 2015, aiming to force tobacco companies to insert pictorial warnings on tobacco packets.

The rules that made the use of pictorial health warning messages on packets of all tobacco products is set to come into effect on March 19 next, they said.

Dhaka Ahsania Mission organised the daylong pictorial warning exhibition on packets of tobacco products in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh in the capital, demanding enforcement of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act 2005.

The programme included showing health warning pictorial messages on packets of tobacco products of Bangladesh and other countries of the world.

General Secretary of Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation Jhuna Chowdhury, Country Coordinator of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Shariful Islam, its Grant Manger Dr Mahfuzul Hoque Bhuiyan, M Abdullah of National Hart Foundation, Iqbal Masud of Dhaka Ahsania Mission among others, other others, spoke at the exhibition.

The speakers said Bangladesh is among top 10 countries of the world, which use tobacco products for reasons like overpopulation, lower income and poverty.

About 57,000 people die and 382,000 others get maimed due to tobacco use and smoking annually in the country.

The government has to spend huge money on treatment for diseases caused by tobacco use and smoking every year, they said, adding that raising the awareness about the issue may play a significant role in reducing the risk of getting affected by diseases.

The anti-tobacco campaigners said inserting pictorial health warning on packets of tobacco products can be effective in creating awareness.