The government is accused of making an unethical decision on its fight against tobacco and alcohol consumption by seeking a donation of 500 million rupees from the Ceylon Tobacco company, as per a proposal in budget 2017.
Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake requested the donation to be utilized by the Presidential Task Force for the Anti-Smoking campaign.
However, it is stated that this request violates Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which states that tobacco industry should not be a partner in initiatives linked to setting up or implementing public health policies.
Sri Lanka is one of the key signatories to this convention.
Speaking to our news team, Director Human Development and Administration at the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre, Sampath de Seram stated that such a request violates the country’s alcohol and drug control act as well.