Sir,
The recent decision by the government to ban Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) from sponsoring the Indian cricket team does not seem to reflect the intelligence of the government. What does the government aim to do? Prevent people from smoking or influencing people not to smoke. In both cases, the government is caught on the wrong foot. The government should remember that a major portion of Excise comes from the cigarette manufacturing companies. Moreover, to prevent people from smoking; education regarding the hazards of smoking is important. Above all, the surrogate advertisements will continue to be aired on the satellite channels. The government cannot afford to have a step-motherly treatment towards some of the industries, this will make it partial. Meanwhile the government should know that the percentage of smokers in our country is still less as compared to China. The smoking of bidis and the chewing of the gutka are more injurious as compared to cigarettes, yet the government seems to bother less. Instead of having clear cut policies, the government is following a double edged policy, which is simply not acceptable. This is to request the government that instead of the Multinational Companies (MNCs) sponsoring our cricket them, what harm is there if our own company does it. After all we are living in a progressive world where people are aware of the basic facts.
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Yours Truly,
(Your Name)