Goa govt hails bill to ban electronic cigarettes

Passage of the law banning e-cigarettes will boost the Goa government's mission to make state tobacco-free, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Monday.

Parliament on Monday passed a bill prohibiting the production, trade, transport, storage and advertisement of electronic cigarettes in the country.

The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Bill, 2019, was passed in Rajya Sabha with a voice vote. It was passed in Lok Sabha earlier this month.

"Rajya Sabha today paved the way for a ban on e-cigarettes and passed the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Bill, 2019.

"With the implementation of the said bill by the central government, this decision will definitely boost our mission of a tobacco-free Goa," Rane tweeted.

The bill defines electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as electronic devices that heat a substance, which may contain nicotine and other chemicals, to create vapour for inhalation.

The bill provides for imprisonment of up to one year, or a fine of up to one lakh rupees, or both to a first-time violator.

For any subsequent offence, it says that the crime will be punishable with an imprisonment of up to three years, along with a fine of up to five lakh rupees.