Dhaka, April 24 -- Advocacy platforms Knowledge for Progress (PROGGA) and the Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) have called on authorities to immediately strengthen tobacco control law citing the health issues caused by smoking as a major obstacle in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The organisations held a roundtable discussion on Thursday at CIRDAP Auditorium in Dhaka, titled "Strengthening of Tobacco Control Law to Safeguard Public Health and Achieving SDGs: Bangladesh Perspective".

"Tobacco is one of the major contributing factors to non-communicable deaths (NCDs). The prevalence of tobacco use claims nearly 442 lives each day in Bangladesh," a media statement read on Thursday.

"It is quite impossible for the co...