First of all I would like to congratulate you on your re-election as the 6th timer Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. I also congratulate you and your government for presenting progressive and pro developing budget for the financial year 2013-14 on 14th March, 2013. The announcement of tax increase on tobacco products and also for starting de – addiction centres in all 12 districts shows your commitment and efforts for healthy generation in the state of Himachal Pradesh. As you know 11 lakh people are using tobacco products and 2.32 lakh of them uses smokeless tobacco. As per the GATS estimates 4 lakhs will die untimely due to serious illness – heart attack, pulmonary cancer etc. Many studies also proves that financial cost of this is many times more than any revenue collected from tobacco products. It is also much more than the employment generated from tobacco industry About 100 studies, clearly demonstrates that significant increases in tobacco taxes (that increase tobacco product prices) encourage current tobacco users to stop using, prevent potential users from taking up tobacco use, and reduce consumption, with the greatest impact on the young and the poor. An increase in taxes saves lives! Expert researchers at Johns Hopkins University, USA have estimated the number of lives saved (or early deaths averted)and showed interesting figure that an increase of 50% or 100% of taxes on all tobacco products may save about 90,000 and 2,09,000 people respectively in Himachal as per current GATS data. Thus increasing the price of tobacco through higher taxes is the single most effective way to encourage tobacco users to quit and prevent children from starting to smoke. There may be a possibility from tobacco industries and your colleagues may be approached to roll back the taxes in the name of unemployment, but as I have observed in Shimla itself the tobacco vendors have now shifted to another business after the city has been declared a Smoke Free in 2010. I hope you will never compromise with the health of our young generation and will not roll back the same. Sir I once again congratulates you and your government’s efforts for intensifying taxes on tobacco products. I promise you I will always support more and uniform taxes on all tobacco products in the state. With regards,