Patna: The ruling Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has declared tobacco “tax-free” ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections, even as the state reports the highest incidence of oral cancer in India.

The state government had previously levied a 30 per cent tax on tobacco products to discourage usage but its sudden move to keep the raw tobacco — more popularly known as Khaini — out of tax net has surprised all.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet held here on Tuesday evening under the chairmanship of the chief minister.

“The cabinet has given its consent to Commercial Tax Department’s proposal to keep tobacco out of tax net,” Cabinet secretary Brajesh Mehrotra told the media.

Bihar is a major cultivator of tobacco but previous governments in the state did not dare to impose tax on this product, fearing the move could annoy tobacco farmers.

However, it was the Nitish Kumar government which for the first time imposed a tax of 10 per cent on tobacco soon after coming to power in Bihar 2007.

In 2012, the tax was increased to 20 per cent while in the current fiscal year (2013-14), it was further hiked to 30 per cent with the government saying the move would discourage tobacco usage and save lives. But the sudden move by the state government to declare it tax-free has puzzled all.

The state government had been actively discouraging tobacco use among young people through various measures.

The antismoking campaign had been given more impetus by a recent survey by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS India), which presented an alarming scenario in the state with regard to the use of tobacco.

According to the survey, around 63 per cent males and 35 per cent females in Bihar are addicted to tobacco which is considered as the main cause of oral cancer.

“Every second adult in Bihar uses smokeless tobacco, and its prevalence in the state is the highest among all states in India,” says the survey adding, two in every three adult males and two in every five adult females in Bihar use tobacco, and the prevalence of smoking is 14 per cent, which is the same as the national average.

The survey shows that tobacco use starts among adults in the state between the ages 20 and 34, while daily tobacco use starts on an average at the age 18.8 years.

The state has been observing a “No Tobacco day” every year to create awareness about disease.