Come April, cigarette manufacturers have to show warning on 85% of a pack surface

While 60% of the pack's surface area will have to have pictorial warnings, 25% will have warnings in text; 15% may be used for branding and other purposes

Cigarette manufacturers in India will have to more than double the space dedicated to health warnings and their graphic representation on cigarette packs.

From April 2015, 85 per cent of the pack’s surface area must be used for health warnings — pictorial and text — against the current 40 per cent, the health ministry has said. While 60 per cent of the pack’s surface area will have to have pictorial warnings, 25 per cent will have warnings in text; 15 per cent may be used for branding and other purposes.

“This will make people, including potential smokers, aware that cigarette consumption is dangerous and leads to death,” Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Wednesday. “As an ENT surgeon, I have seen the effects of tobacco closely.”  India doesn’t allow advertising for alcohol and tobacco products, including cigarettes, on any mass medium. Typically, companies resort to surrogate advertising such as sponsorships, promotion of fashion, lifestyle and sporting events or launch of ancillary products such as packaged water.