Rajya Sabha passes Bill banning cigarette, tobacco ads

NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a Bill banning advertisement of cigarettes and other tobacco products. It also prohibited sponsorship of sports and cultural events by the manufacturers of these products.
‘All advertisements of cigarettes and other tobacco products, direct or surrogate, in any form will be banned’, said Minister for Health and Family Welfare Sushma Swaraj.
Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Bill, 2001, also seeks to ban sale of tobacco products to minors, besides proposing to compound minor offences and making punishment for offences by companies more stringent.
It banned sale of cigarette or any other tobacco products within 100 metre-radius of schools and colleges, thus making it mandatory on producers to display the statutory warning alongside with nicotine and tar content per cigarette on the packet.
The warning would be in English and one or more Indian language.
The Bill made smoking in public places punishable with fine which may extend to Rs 200 while advertisement of tobacco products would attract imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine of Rs 1 lakh in case of first conviction.
In the case of second or subsequent conviction, the punishment would be imprisonment up to 3 years or/and fine of Rs 2 lakh.