Parrikar too was hooked onto gutka
August 7th, 2012 - 3:44 pm ICT by IANS
Panaji, Aug 7 (IANS) The shocking image of a Class 6 boy shaking the contents of a gutka (tobacco-laced areca nut pieces) pouch into his mouth was one of the reasons prompted Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to quit his own gutka-eating habit.
Parrikar made the confession during zero hour Tuesday when he also assured the Goa assembly that the government was looking at legal options to stop the manufacturers of ‘Goa gutka’ a leading gutka manufacturer, to stop using the name of the state on his sachets.
“I used to have gutka. But I was also instrumental for banning it. I banned after I gave up the habit. It was necessary,” Parrikar said, in a candid confession.
“In 2003, I was attending a school function, when I saw a Class 6 boy opening a pouch of gutka right before my eyes and pouring the contents in his mouth. I slapped him. I was shocked and realised that something had to be done about it,” said Parrikar, candidly adding that he too was hooked to the addictive areca nut-tobacco combo.
“One day before I banned gutka later on, I myself decided to quit the habit,” he said, recounting his decision taken, during his first stint as chief minister from 2000 to 2005.
Parrikar also said that the government would consult with the advocate general to come up with legal ways to ensure that gutka brands do not use ‘Goa’ to promote the already banned product.
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt and Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishen star in a television commercial featuring ‘Goa gutka’, which is sold across western India.
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- Jharkhand bans sale, manufacturing of gutka - Jul 24, 2012
- Madhya Pradesh bans tobacco-mixed 'gutka' - Apr 01, 2012
- No sale of gutka, pan masala in pouches from March 2011 - Dec 07, 2010
- Goa to ban sale of alcohol in sachets: Parrikar - Aug 03, 2012
- Gutka ban welcome, needs to be effective, say Delhiites - Sep 11, 2012
- Plastic gutka sachets banned, really? - Mar 06, 2011
- We Need A Lifetime Of No Tobacco, And Not Merely A Day - May 28, 2010
- Whistleblowers with a difference - on 'clean Shimla' mission (Letter from Shimla) - Aug 14, 2012
- Is tobacco plastic sachet ban being implemented, SC asks - Aug 25, 2011
- Contempt notice issued to company on plastic sachet use (Lead) - May 11, 2011
- Cancer victim writes to PM for ban on tobacco products - Jun 01, 2011
- Smuggled Indian pan masala poses cancer threat to Africa - Jul 28, 2011
- Inadequate, say health activists of new anti-tobacco warnings - Jun 01, 2011
- Supreme Court refuses to lift ban on tobacco sachets (Lead) - Apr 14, 2011
Tags: advocate, areca nut, chief minister, confession, eating habit, goa assembly, legal options, manohar, panaji, right before my eyes, sachets, sanjay dutt, shocking image, stint, television commercial, tobacco, western india, zero hour