{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T20:28:25Z","timestamp":1792787305178,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"BMJ","funder":[{"name":"Bloomberg Philanthropies through Vital Strategy","award":["INDIA-TII-02-02"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["INDIA-TII-02-02"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01sv5vd96","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Tob Control"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Bidis (small hand-rolled cigarillos) account for 85% of smoked tobacco products in India. The bidi industry is criticised for health hazards, economic exploitation, poor social security, long hours, low wages and contractualisation. This study examines bidi industry practices in India and how these allow it to resist tobacco control measures.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The study was conducted in Murshidabad (West Bengal) and Jabalpur\/Narsinghpur (Madhya Pradesh) districts, which were selected for their significant bidi roller populations. Interviews were conducted with 200 bidi rollers and 17 key stakeholders, including\n                      <jats:italic>munshis<\/jats:italic>\n                      (middle-men\/intermediaries), community\/youth club representatives and labour union leaders, with assistance from 10 \u2018champions\u2019 (trusted community insiders). Participants provided informed consent and their confidentiality was ensured. Interview data, in Bangla and Hindi, were translated into English and then analysed thematically.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Findings<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Five major themes emerged. First, bidi companies engage in image-building corporate social responsibility activities that mirror tactics used by multinational cigarette companies, creating a facade of social responsibility while exploiting workers. Second, the industry systematically violates government policies through wage discrepancies, provident fund fraud and false worker registration to evade compliance. Third, systemic inequity pervades the sector, with median wages at only 38\u201353% of government-mandated rates. Fourth, unjustified bidi rejections facilitate widespread illicit trade that evades taxation and government oversight. Fifth, child labour remains entrenched in West Bengal.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Bidi companies\u2019 current practices perpetuate labour exploitation and illicit trade. We recommend uniform national guidelines that require transparent operations and mandatory registration of all bidi rollers.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/tc-2025-059812","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T17:20:28Z","timestamp":1791220828000},"page":"tc-2025-059812","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Understanding bidi industry from the lenses of bidi workforce: an exploratory study"],"prefix":"10.1136","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3871-9400","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paramita","family":"Bhattacharya","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Public Health Research, Manbhum Ananda Ashram Nityananda Trust, Kolkata, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pritha","family":"Das","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Public Health Research, Manbhum Ananda Ashram Nityananda Trust, Kolkata, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sajda","family":"Khatoon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Public Health Research, Manbhum Ananda Ashram Nityananda Trust, Kolkata, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Biswajit","family":"Mahapatra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Public Health Research, Manbhum Ananda Ashram Nityananda Trust, Kolkata, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tanya","family":"Sharma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Public Health Research, Manbhum Ananda Ashram Nityananda Trust, Kolkata, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7214-4888","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shivam","family":"Kapoor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vital Strategies, New Delhi, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0168-2221","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marty G","family":"Otanez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Anthropology Department, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mira","family":"Aghi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Navi Mumbai, Maharastra, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ashish","family":"Pandey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vital Strategies, New Delhi, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5137-1010","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nirmalya","family":"Mukherjee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Public Health Research, Manbhum Ananda Ashram Nityananda Trust, Kolkata, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026100510202235000_tc-2025-059812v1.1","unstructured":"Government of India . Global Adult Tobacco Survey [Internet]. World Health Organization; 2016. Available: https:\/\/ntcp.mohfw.gov.in\/assets\/document\/surveys-reports-publications\/Global-Adult-Tobacco-Survey-Second-Round-India-2016-2017.pdf"},{"key":"2026100510202235000_tc-2025-059812v1.2","unstructured":"Joshi KP , Robins M , Parashramlu V , et al . An epidemiological study of occupational health hazards among bidi workers of Amarchinta, Andhra Pradesh. Journal of Applied and Innovative Research 2013;1. 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A public policy analysis with key stakeholders\u2019 insights to understand India\u2019s compliance with the WHO framework convention on tobacco control. ecancer 2022;16. doi:10.3332\/ecancer.2022.1402","DOI":"10.3332\/ecancer.2022.1402"},{"key":"2026100510202235000_tc-2025-059812v1.9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1010539520917793"},{"key":"2026100510202235000_tc-2025-059812v1.10","unstructured":"Kapoor S , Yadav A , Lal P , et al . A \u201cbottom-up approach\u201d in devising national and sub-national policy framework in compliance with WHO FCTC Article 5.3 in India. 2021;25."},{"key":"2026100510202235000_tc-2025-059812v1.11","unstructured":"Md R , Yasmin SS , Raj AA , et al . Socio legal protection of beedi workers under labour welfare legislations in India: an assessment. J Pharm Negat Results 2022. doi:10.47750\/pnr.2022.13.S05.356"},{"key":"2026100510202235000_tc-2025-059812v1.12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sarkar P . Rolling reforms: unpacking the impact of labour codes on beedi workers in west bengal. SSRN [Preprint]. doi:10.2139\/ssrn.4991537 Available: https:\/\/www.ssrn.com\/abstract=4991537","DOI":"10.2139\/ssrn.4991537"},{"key":"2026100510202235000_tc-2025-059812v1.13","unstructured":"Burman PNI . Beedi industry in murshidabad district of west bengal: an empirical study [internet]. 2023. Available: https:\/\/www.caluniv.ac.in\/dj\/BS-Journal\/v-39\/Beedi-Industry.pdf"},{"key":"2026100510202235000_tc-2025-059812v1.14","unstructured":"Jahangir S . Life worlds of the bidi workers in Murshidabad district of West Bengal: A qualitative assessment [Internet]. Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi; 2018. Available: https:\/\/ijissh.org\/storage\/Volume3\/Issue6\/IJISSH-030604.pdf"},{"key":"2026100510202235000_tc-2025-059812v1.15","unstructured":"Singh SS . In India\u2019s beedi hub of Murshidabad, exclusive hospital for workers of the industry lacks doctors and facilities. The Hindu [Internet]. 2022. Available: https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/other-states\/in-indias-beedi-hub-of-murshidabad-exclusive-hospital-for-workers-of-the-industry-lacks-doctors-and-facilities\/article66274371.ece"},{"key":"2026100510202235000_tc-2025-059812v1.16","unstructured":"Purkait SK , Sardar BK . Occupational Health Hazard of Women Bidi Workers in Rural India. Int J Sci Eng Technol Res [Internet] 2015. Available: https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/profile\/Sanat-Purkait\/publication\/358077958_OCCUPATIONAL_HEALTH_HAZARD_OF_WOMEN_BIDI_WORKERS_IN_RURAL_INDIA\/links\/61eee82c5779d35951cf84bb\/OCCUPATIONAL-HEALTH-HAZARD-OF-WOMEN-BIDI-WORKERS-IN-RURAL-INDIA.pdf"},{"key":"2026100510202235000_tc-2025-059812v1.17","unstructured":"Bidi Smoking and Public Health [Internet] . Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 2008. 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