India slips on tobacco warnings: report

India's ranking has dropped down to 136 out of 198 among countries that include pictorial health warnings on tobacco package, a report said Tuesday.

This is much lower than the 123rd position that the country had in 2012, a release said here.

The Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status Report 2014, which was released at the sixth session of the conference of the parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Moscow ranks 198 countries on the size of their health warnings on cigarette packages.

It also lists countries and territories that require picture warnings, and documents the global momentum towards implementation of plain packaging.

As per the report, the three top countries based on their average front and back size of pack warnings are Thailand (85 percent), Australia (82.5 percent) and Uruguay (80 percent).

India also now ranks last among other SAARC nations that have graphic health warnings.

India was one of the first countries to sign and ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and is thus obligated to adopt and implement large, clear, and rotating health warnings on all tobacco product.

The Indian government is due to announce a new set of warnings shortly as the current ones are up for rotation from April 1, 2015.