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4/23/2015 MP Shyama Charan Gupta who said nothing wrong with beedis flaunts his beedi empire | The Indian Express Express Specials Death by Breath Idea Exchange EPaper Today's Paper Astrology NATION WORLD BUSINESS CITIES SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT LIFESTYLE TECHNOLOGY Follow Like 2.6m THURSDAY, APR 23, 2015 NATION Home India IndiaOthers MP Shyama Charan Gupta who said nothing wrong with beedis flaunts his beedi empire Like 682 257 283 Comments (13) Email Print Google + 0 Beedi baron Shyama Charan Gupta said that the push for 85 per cent pictorial warnings on packaging for tobacco products is an American conspiracy to destroy PM Narendra Modi’s Make in India call by hurting the beedi trade. Written by Abantika Ghosh | New Delhi | Updated: April 2, 2015 10:11 am The MP who told the Parliamentary committee of subordinate legislation (of which he is also a member) that beedis have “nil” harmful effect is a beedi baron. Shyama Charan Gupta’s beedi business, by his own admission, has http://indianexpress.com/article/india/indiaothers/mpshyamacharanguptawhosaidnothingwrongwithbeedisflauntshisbeediempire/ 1/12 4/23/2015 MP Shyama Charan Gupta who said nothing wrong with beedis flaunts his beedi empire | The Indian Express an annual turnover of “Rs 200-250 crore — between 1-1.5 per cent of the total beedi trade in the country”. Gupta said that the push for 85 per cent pictorial warnings on packaging for tobacco products is an American conspiracy to destroy Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India call by hurting the beedi trade. “Beedis are my ancestral business. Shyam Beedi is the brand name. We have been around for 30-40 years. Our annual turnover is Rs 200-250 crore from beedis alone. Shyam Group of Companies is also into dairy, hotel, cold storage and detergent powder manufacturing among other businesses. I employ about 10,000 beedi rollers. During the tendu plucking season, we employ between 30,000-50,000 contractual workers to pluck leaves in the forest lots auctioned in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh,” Gupta told The Indian Express. The Union Health Ministry heeded a recommendation of the committee on subordinate legislation of which Gupta is a member when it decided to keep in abeyance a notification dated October 2014 that made it mandatory for all tobacco packets to carry a pictorial warning covering 85 per cent of its principal display area. The committee heard only representatives of the tobacco industry and not any health experts to make its recommendation. The recommendation is, however, not binding on the government. Gupta had written to the committee in November last year that beedis have very little tobacco and therefore “nil” harmful effect, a claim that flies in the face of reality. According to experts, beedis are estimated to kill 600,000 people annually in India. The Allahabad MP is not ready to believe these numbers. “Beedis are made from green http://indianexpress.com/article/india/indiaothers/mpshyamacharanguptawhosaidnothingwrongwithbeedisflauntshisbeediempire/ 2/12 4/23/2015 MP Shyama Charan Gupta who said nothing wrong with beedis flaunts his beedi empire | The Indian Express leaves which are dried. It has a herbal effect. Admittedly there is some nicotine in tobacco but the quantity is very small. I know because I am in the business. I can show you thousands of people who smoke beedi and are fine. America-funded NGOs are trying to put the blame for lifestyle diseases on tobacco in a bid to kill the indigenous industry. They will destroy Modi’s Make in India call,” he said. Alleging that the pictorial warnings that are being pushed are not real pictures, but created ones, Gupta called upon the government to make a distinction between smoked and chewed tobacco. He believes the former is not as harmful. “When you chew, it goes into your stomach and has an effect. When you smoke, it is different. This distinction has to be made. Besides, what is the point of fighting for pack warnings when 40 per cent of the beedi market is unbranded?” he asked. The industrialist-MP Shyama Charan Gupta’s empire ♦ Shyam Beedi Works Limited ♦ Shyam Cold Storage ♦ Shyam Housing and Finance Private Limited ♦Hotel Kanha Shyam ♦A detergent manufacturing unit ♦Is a carrying and forwarding Agent for Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. ♦Shyam Dairy Plant ♦ Baghban incense sticks ♦Lamhe Beauty Soaps ♦ Kanha Shyam Residency ♦ Group Housing at Kanpur. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/indiaothers/mpshyamacharanguptawhosaidnothingwrongwithbeedisflauntshisbeediempire/ 3/12 4/23/2015 MP Shyama Charan Gupta who said nothing wrong with beedis flaunts his beedi empire | The Indian Express First Published on: April 2, 20151:51 am DO YOU LIKE THIS STORY 9 3 Like 682 257 283 Comments (13) Google + 0 PROMOTED STORIES Recommended by TAGS: Beedi Cigarette Tobacco Ban Previous Story Next Story 2002 hit-and-run case: Reserve Bank prescribes tough Prosecution calls Salman Khan's norms for IFSC banking units driver a dummy witness Give your rating: Average: 0 stars Comments (13) Latest What is your opinion? Name Email Post I Agree To T&C Devendra Surjan from Shivaji Nagar http://indianexpress.com/article/india/indiaothers/mpshyamacharanguptawhosaidnothingwrongwithbeedisflauntshisbeediempire/ 4/12 4/23/2015 MP Shyama C h aran Gupta who said nothing wrong with beedis flaunts his beedi empire | The Indian Express The same Shyma Charan Gupta was abducted by Dacoit Dadua about 20 years ago. He was Mayor of Allahabad once upon a time. 21 days ago · (0) · (0) · reply (0) · Sathish Shimoga from Bangalore Another item which is taking the life of common people is : "HOT DRINKS". I request all those who are decrying the report of Parliamentary committee of subordinate legislation to stand united and put pressure on the Government to bank the HOT DRINKS. This would be a yeoman service to the Points mankind. PLEASE 495 21 days ago · (0) · (0) · reply (0) · Adrian Akau from Kailua-Kona People who smoke are fine except for the ones who come down with lung cancer. Then it is too late. Gupta's business needs to be protected so that he can gain more wealth at the expense of hundreds of thousands of people who die every year from smoking. 21 days ago · (3) · (0) · reply (1) · Joy · LalitNagrath · James Up Voted sHAMBHU SACHAN from Saint Louis MR.SHYAM GUPTA IA GOOD BUSINESS MAN,HE HAS GIVEN EMPLOYMENT TO THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES. WE CAN STOP TOBACCO PRODUCTION, BEEDI LEAVES, FACTORIES VERY EASY TO SAY ,IF YOUR FAMILY LIVES ON THAT TOBACCO BUSINESS MONEY WHAT YOU WILL DO, JUST CRY AND CURSE THE GOVERNMENT.PLEASE EDUCATE PEOPLE THAT TOBACCO IS BAD AND LET THEM DECIDE WHAT IS GOOD FOR THEM. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE BREAD AND BUTTER OF MILLIONS WHOS FAMILIES ARE COMPLETELY DEPEND ON TOBACCO TRADE. 19 days ago · (0) · (0) · reply (0) · Bharath Kedlaya Chartered Accountant. from Bangalore A beedi baron on the committee to decide whether beedi's are harmful. And Dawood Ibrahim on the committee to decide whether stronger laws are needed to catch terrorists. Ever heard of 'conflict of Points http://indianexpress.com/article/india/indiaothers/mpshyamacharanguptawhosaidnothingwrongwithbeedisflauntshisbeediempire/ 5/12 4/23/2015 MP Shyama Charan Gupta who said nothing wrong with beedis flaunts his beedi empire | The Indian Express needed to catch terrorists. Ever heard of 'conflict of Points interest'? Excellent governance Mr. PM, way to go ! 115 21 days ago · (5) · (0) · reply (0) · CommonIndian · Joy · LalitNagrath · raj · James Up Voted Amit Kumar from Chennai 'I employ about 10,000 beedi rollers. During the tendu plucking season, we employ between 30,000- 50,000 contractual workers to pluck leaves..." Please add employment to thousands of doctors treating the smokers along with the millions employed into the pharmaceutical industry!!! You are the savior of Indian economy sir. Keep it up... 21 days ago · (4) · (0) · reply (1) · Joy · LalitNagrath · raj · James Up Voted sHAMBHU SACHAN from Saint Louis DEAR AMIT YES WE CAN NOT DESTROY JOBS OF MILLIONS THAT TOBACCO IS BAD FOR HEALTH. BEFORE BANNING IT, CREATE MORE JOBS FOR THESE POOR PEOPLE WHOSE FAMILIES SERVIVE WITH WITH THIS TRADE. PLEASE LOOK GOOD AND BAD SIDE OF THE TRADE. 19 days ago · (0) · (0) · reply (0) · Walter from Surat sir it's a conspiracy of lobbies who are paid to push an agenda just as blanking the sound of f & b's on tv 21 days ago · (0) · (0) · reply (0) · S K from Bangalore I remember Bismarck ( of German unification fame) had said that politics does not control economics, it Points is economics which controls politics. How true. 115 21 days ago · (1) · (0) · reply (1) · James Up Voted walter from Surat you are right 21 days ago · (0) · (0) · reply (0) · Varun from Gurgaon http://indianexpressI.tc oims /asrhticalem/indeiaf/uinld iaanotdhe rus/nmfposrhtyuamnaacthea rtahnagutp ptaewohopsleai dlinkoethingwrongwithbeedisflauntshisbeediempire/ 6/12 4/23/2015 MP Shyama Charan Gupta who said nothing wrong with beedis flaunts his beedi empire | The Indian Express It is shameful and unfortunate that people like these claim to be the representatives of people in the Parliament. Such narrow minded self serving agenda needs to be exposed at a bigger level and public be made aware of the intentions of people like these when they contest elections.