{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T19:06:51Z","timestamp":1771960011873,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":61,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771891200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009053","name":"The Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["IA\/CRC\/20\/1\/600007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IA\/CRC\/20\/1\/600007"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009053","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009053","name":"The Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["IA\/CPH\/22\/1\/506533"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IA\/CPH\/22\/1\/506533"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009053","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009053","name":"The Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["IA\/CRC\/20\/1\/600007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IA\/CRC\/20\/1\/600007"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009053","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosglobalpublichealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Glob Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Tobacco use and associated disease burden remain high among Indigenous communities in India. Despite an overall decline in tobacco consumption over the last few decades, the social disparities in tobacco use have widened, with Indigenous communities experiencing the least decline. Existing tobacco control policies lack specific considerations for Indigenous communities. Hence, as part of a broader research initiative focusing on the health of Indigenous communities, we explored how parliamentarians in India have framed their concerns about tobacco in reference to Indigenous communities over time. We sourced digital transcripts of exchanges (parliamentarians asking questions and ministers responding to them) as part of the Question Hour sessions in the lower- and upper-houses of the Indian parliament between 1952 and 2022. We used thematic content analysis for 301 transcripts that linked tobacco and Indigenous communities. Overall representation of Indigenous communities in the Indian parliament remains very limited. The major concerns expressed by parliamentarians included (1) occupational health hazards and inadequate access to healthcare services faced by members from Indigenous communities working as bidi makers and tendu leaf collectors;(2) unfair wages and exploitative work conditions for these workers; and (3) perceived negative impact on tobacco-linked livelihoods resulting from trade and investment-related policies in the tobacco sector. Parliamentarians did not raise issues related to high tobacco use and tobacco-related harms among Indigenous communities in general, nor did they talk about the negative impact of tobacco on forests that are central to the lives of Indigenous communities. Public health research and advocacy efforts need to acknowledge the complex and multiple intertwining links between tobacco (industry) and Indigenous communities. There is a need to sensitise policymakers on the health and environmental impacts of tobacco while addressing the prevailing exploitation of workers from Indigenous communities in precarious tobacco supply chains and providing viable alternative livelihoods.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0004601","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T18:24:53Z","timestamp":1771957493000},"page":"e0004601","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Policymakers\u2019 concerns linking tobacco and Indigenous communities in India: A qualitative analysis of parliamentary questions (1952\u20132022)"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"Shilpi Sikha","family":"Das","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9179-6248","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Upendra","family":"Bhojani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nugehalli Srinivas","family":"Prashanth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"pgph.0004601.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"544","DOI":"10.1136\/tc-2024-058599","article-title":"Update on numbers of tobacco-attributable deaths by country in the South-East Asia region: implications for policy","volume":"34","author":"J Kaur","year":"2025","journal-title":"Tob Control"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref002","volume-title":"Tribal health in India: bridging the gap and a road map for the future","author":"Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Tribal Affairs","year":"2018"},{"issue":"3","key":"pgph.0004601.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0282487","article-title":"Social determinants of tobacco use among tribal communities in India: Evidence from the first wave of Longitudinal Ageing Study in India","volume":"18","author":"J Murmu","year":"2023","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"7","key":"pgph.0004601.ref004","article-title":"Tobacco Use Among Tribal Communities in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prevalence Studies","volume":"17","author":"S Nath","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"21","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-015-2645-x","article-title":"Effective strategies to reduce commercial tobacco use in Indigenous communities globally: A systematic review","volume":"16","author":"A Minichiello","year":"2016","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"issue":"11","key":"pgph.0004601.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjgh-2022-010366","article-title":"The commercial determinants of Indigenous health and well-being: a systematic scoping review","volume":"7","author":"AC Crocetti","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMJ Glob Health"},{"issue":"5","key":"pgph.0004601.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"574","DOI":"10.1136\/tobaccocontrol-2018-054508","article-title":"Commercial tobacco and indigenous peoples: a stock take on Framework Convention on Tobacco Control progress","volume":"28","author":"R Maddox","year":"2019","journal-title":"Tob Control"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref008","volume-title":"National Drug Strategy 2017-2026","author":"Commonwealth of Australia","year":"2017"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref009","unstructured":"Government of Canada. Canada\u2019s Tobacco Strategy. https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/health-canada\/services\/publications\/healthy-living\/canada-tobacco-strategy.html#a3. Accessed 2025 July 10."},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref010","author":"Government of India","year":"2013"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref011","unstructured":"National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. Constitutional provisions for development of scheduled tribes. https:\/\/socialwelfare.vikaspedia.in\/viewcontent\/social-welfare\/scheduled-tribes-welfare\/constitutional-provisions-for-development-of-scheduled-tribes?lgn=en. Accessed 2025 July 10."},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref012","volume-title":"Tobacco control laws and related laws in India","author":"Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Government of India","year":"2024"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref013","volume-title":"GATS 2: Global adult tobacco survey, factsheet India 2016-17","author":"Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Government of India"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004601.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1971","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-023-16780-8","article-title":"Shifting the gaze on implementation: examining the association between the implementation of tobacco control laws and prevalence of tobacco using data from a nationally representative survey","volume":"23","author":"PB Hebbar","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref015","unstructured":"Institute of Public Health Bengaluru. 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Oral answers, Question 127. 1987. https:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/878354\/1\/08_IX_16-11-1987_p13_p15_s127.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref027","unstructured":"Parliament of India. Unstarred question no: 2886. 2012. hhttps:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/616866\/1\/118419.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref028","unstructured":"Parliament of India RS. Starred Question 11. 1993. 39\u201340."},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref029","unstructured":"Parliament of India RS. Question 4940. 2000. 87."},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref030","unstructured":"Parliament of India (Lok Sabha). Unstarred Question 4581. 2016. https:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/688010\/1\/40331.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref031","unstructured":"The Beedi Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1976. 1976. 1\u20137."},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref032","unstructured":"Government of India. Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act 1966. https:\/\/www.indiacode.nic.in\/handle\/123456789\/1675?sam_handle=123456789\/1362"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref033","unstructured":"Parliament of India (Lok Sabha). Question 6334. 1995. 43. https:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/2392213\/1\/10_XIII_19-05-1995_p26_p26_u6332.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref034","unstructured":"Parliament of India (Lok Sabha). Question 3101. 1995. 485\u20136. https:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/2402879\/1\/10_XV_18-12-1995_p247_p247_u3101.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref035","unstructured":"Parliament of India (Lok Sabha). Question 1086. 1998. 305. https:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/2963091\/1\/US_1086_02-06-1998_1.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref036","unstructured":"Parliament of India (Lok Sabha). Question 6530. 1995. https:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/2392411\/1\/10_XIII_19-05-1995_p91_p91_u6530.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref037","unstructured":"Parliament of India (Lok Sabha). Question 6332. 1995. https:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/2392213\/1\/10_XIII_19-05-1995_p26_p26_u6332.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref038","unstructured":"Parliament of India RS. Question 572. 1990."},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref039","unstructured":"Parliament of India (Lok Sabha). Question 3321. 2004. https:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/572298\/1\/7431.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref040","unstructured":"Parliament of India (Lok Sabha). Question 1008. 1977. 91."},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref041","unstructured":"Parliament of India (Lok Sabha). Question 1024. 1992. 559. https:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/2349633\/1\/10_IV_14-07-1992_p287_p287_u1024.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref042","unstructured":"Parliament of India (Lok Sabha). Question 148. 1999. https:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/793655\/1\/12_IV_05031999_p21_p22_s148.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref043","unstructured":"Parliament of India RS. Question 4324. 1994."},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref044","unstructured":"Parliament of India (Lok Sabha). Question 1886. 2002. https:\/\/eparlib.nic.in\/bitstream\/123456789\/433857\/1\/48211.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref045","unstructured":"Parliament of India RS. Question 572. 1990."},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref046","unstructured":"Government of India. Evaluation study on the implementation of Minimum Wages Act, 1948 in beedi making industry in Madhya Pradesh. 2015. https:\/\/labourbureau.gov.in\/uploads\/pdf\/Report_on_Beddi_Industry_2015.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref047","year":"2006"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004601.ref048","article-title":"Beedi rolling and the health hazards associated with occupational exposure: a situational review from Karnataka, India","volume":"4","author":"A Rathore","year":"2018","journal-title":"RGUHS Natl J Public Heal"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004601.ref049","first-page":"106","article-title":"Tendu leaves collection in India: livelihoods, rights and challenges for alternative to tobacco - evidences from five Indian states","volume":"6","author":"B Sabar","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Gov Public Policy"},{"issue":"11","key":"pgph.0004601.ref050","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1714","DOI":"10.1093\/ntr\/ntac075","article-title":"Implementing FCTC Article 17 Through Participatory Research With Bidi Workers in Tamil Nadu, India","volume":"24","author":"A Russell","year":"2022","journal-title":"Nicotine Tob Res"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref051","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1596\/9730","volume-title":"WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2003"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref052","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1136\/tobaccocontrol-2018-054389","article-title":"Impact of the WHO FCTC over the first decade: a global evidence review prepared for the Impact Assessment Expert Group","volume":"28","author":"J Chung-Hall","year":"2019","journal-title":"Tob Control"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref053","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Tobacco and its environmental impact: an overview. 2017. Available from: http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ccm.2013.09.011","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ccm.2013.09.011"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref054","volume-title":"Forest fires and tendu leaf collection in India: an evidence-based analysis","author":"M Singh","year":"2023"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref055","volume-title":"Tobacco Curing and Fuel Efficiency in Karnataka, India","author":"NS Nayak","year":"2013"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref056","unstructured":"All India Institute of Medical Sciences Jodhpur, Indian Council of Medical Research - National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, The International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases. The environmental burden of tobacco products wastes in India: tobacco use makes you ugly, your habitate uglier. 2022. https:\/\/nicpr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/tobacco_waste_report.pdf"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref057","author":"1st national conference on \u201ctobacco use among tribal communities\u201d"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref058","author":"Government of India","year":"2019"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref059","author":"Government of India","year":"2025"},{"key":"pgph.0004601.ref060","author":"Government of India"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004601.ref061","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1177\/2321023014526023","article-title":"Studying the Indian Legislature: What does Question Hour Reveal?","volume":"2","author":"S Ayyangar","year":"2014","journal-title":"Studies in Indian Politics"}],"container-title":["PLOS Global Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0004601","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T18:25:02Z","timestamp":1771957502000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0004601"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Madhur","family":"Verma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]]},"references-count":61,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.0004601","relation":{},"ISSN":["2767-3375"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2767-3375","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]]}}}