The CII-organised awards for sustainable development are supported by ITC -- a major cigarette manufacturer -- and an anti-tobacco group had urged the President not to attend the event.
President's Press Secretary Venu Rajamony said: "The Sustainable Awards Event is organised by the CII-ITC Centre for Excellence in Sustainable Development and it has nothing to do with the promotion of tobacco".
He was reacting to opposition expressed by the Advocacy Forum for Tobacco Control ( AFTC).
The NGO had written to the President requesting him not to attend the function here as it violates key provisions of a legally-binding international tobacco control treaty to which India is a signatory.
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