the consumption of tobacco

Kerala leads the rest of India in the consumption of tobacco and non-tobacco products, said a new study by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) Monday.

The study, Household Consumer Expenditure in India, 2007-08, said the per capita monthly expenditure on non-tobacco products in villages of Kerala was Rs.17 while in urban areas, it was Rs.19.

The national average was Rs.6 in villages and Rs.7 in cities and towns.

Liquor, classified in non-tobacco products category, alone accounted for 95 percent of the expenses.

Likewise, in tobacco products, Kerala was far ahead of the national average.

In villages, the per capita monthly expenditure was Rs.14.50 while in urban areas it was Rs.18.50. The national average for both urban and rural areas was Rs.9.90.

Another interesting result that surfaced in the study was that the per capita monthly expenditure in the villages was almost as much as in cities and towns of the state.

In villages, the per capita monthly expenditure was Rs.1,383 while it was Rs.1,948 in urban areas. The national average stood at Rs.772 for villages and Rs.1,472 for cities.