Greater Control Over Tobacco Industry Recommended

The parliamentary standing committee on human resource development has recommended a 150 per cent customs duty on cigarette imports to protect the domestic industry. Reviewing the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation) Bill, 2001, the committee said the Bill was biased against cigarettes and its users, compared to other tobacco products.

The report, tabled in Parliament this week, has suggested an additional provision in the Union List to allow the government to exercise greater control over tobacco advertising. "It is expedient in the public interest that the government should take under its control the tobacco industry," it says.

The standing committee has said the relevant clauses of the Bill should also be modified so that small hawkers of cigarettes cannot be arrested by the police without a proper warrant.

It says the proposed Bill puts restrictions on trade, commerce, production, supply and distribution of cigarettes and other tobacco products. However, since the indication of nicotine and tar contents has been made compulsory for cigarettes only, it creates an impression that other tobacco products do not contain such substances and are, therefore, less harmful, the committee said.

It has recommended that "printing of nicotine and tar contents as well as maximum permissible limit thereof on packets and cartons on all tobacco products be made compulsory."

While saying that the manufacturers of cigarettes and other tobacco products are responsible for ensuring that the specified warning was present on the package, the committee has asked for "different penalties for producers, manufacturers and sellers of these products" for violation of this, and added foreign TV channels should be made accountable to ensure that tobacco advertising is not beamed into the country.

It has also advocated a complete ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products within a radius of 500 yards of educational institutions and recommended a suitable provision in the Bill.