Rural Telangana stands fifth in cigarette spend per capita
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Hyderabad: In Telangana, cigarette spending reveals a telling contrast between rural and urban lifestyles. Rural smokers spend an average of ₹415 per person annually, far below the ₹625 spent by their city counterparts.
Yet, the state still ranks high nationally—rural Telangana sits fifth in per capita cigarette expenditure, with urban areas close behind in sixth.
This consumption pattern mirrors another habit where Telangana dominates: Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) and beer. Here, the state tops the country in rural consumption and holds third place in urban rankings, underscoring a broader appetite for premium intoxicants.
A white paper from the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, which tracked intoxicant spending over the past decade, highlights the extent of the gap. Urban residents in Telangana spend an eye-popping ₹97,901 annually on IMFL, beer, toddy, beedis, cigarettes, and other tobacco products combined. Rural residents, while spending less, still allocate a significant ₹57,627—a difference that reflects income disparities but also availability and lifestyle choices.
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Beyond the numbers lies a public health warning. Medical experts say these habits carry serious consequences for both users and those around them. Dr Srikrishna R Boddu, consultant physician at Kamineni Hospitals, stresses that secondhand smoke is far from harmless. "When individuals smoke, harmful particles are inhaled by people nearby, potentially causing allergies, respiratory ailments, and more severe complications," he warned.
Continuous exposure, he explained, can inflame the throat and airways, leading to chronic conditions like bronchitis. When combined with heavy drinking, the risks escalate, increasing the likelihood of cancers and compounding strain on the heart. "The impacts on cardiovascular health cannot be overlooked—it's best to avoid these habits entirely to protect one's health," Dr Boddu advised.
For Telangana, the data tells two stories—one of economic capability, with both rural and urban populations willing to spend on premium cigarettes and liquor, and another of looming health costs that cut across geography. As public health advocates push for stronger anti-smoking campaigns and awareness drives, experts said the challenge will be to shift not just spending patterns, but deeply ingrained cultural habits.
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