- News>
- India
Smoking banned in public places
New Delhi, May 01: There will be a strict ban on cigarette and tobacco advertisements and smoking in public places, including railway compartments, from May 01.
New Delhi, May 01: There will be a strict ban on cigarette and tobacco advertisements and smoking in public places, including railway compartments, from May 01.
The Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (prohibition of advertisement and regulation of trade and commerce, production, supply and distribution) Act, which specifies punitive measures for smoking in public places, will be enforced from Saturday, official sources have said.
The rule is going to be particularly hard on the tobacco advertisement industry which generates approximately Rs 250 crore in revenue every year as the Health Ministry has already instructed states to bring down the tobacco advertisements by April 30.
There is still some uncertainty, however, on the key issue of brand extension and surrogate advertisements — which tobacco companies, like liquor companies, can use to circumvent the ban and promote their brand names.
The law has three broad components: banning all types of tobacco advertisements, prohibiting smoking in public places and proscribing the sale of cigarettes to minors.
It makes smoking in public places punishable with a fine of up to Rs 200, while advertising tobacco products could lead to imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of Rs 1 lakh for a first conviction.
With subsequent convictions, the punishment can go up to three years.
Bureau Report
The Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (prohibition of advertisement and regulation of trade and commerce, production, supply and distribution) Act, which specifies punitive measures for smoking in public places, will be enforced from Saturday, official sources have said.
The rule is going to be particularly hard on the tobacco advertisement industry which generates approximately Rs 250 crore in revenue every year as the Health Ministry has already instructed states to bring down the tobacco advertisements by April 30.
There is still some uncertainty, however, on the key issue of brand extension and surrogate advertisements — which tobacco companies, like liquor companies, can use to circumvent the ban and promote their brand names.
The law has three broad components: banning all types of tobacco advertisements, prohibiting smoking in public places and proscribing the sale of cigarettes to minors.
It makes smoking in public places punishable with a fine of up to Rs 200, while advertising tobacco products could lead to imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of Rs 1 lakh for a first conviction.
With subsequent convictions, the punishment can go up to three years.
Bureau Report