West Bengal extends ban on tobacco-based gutkha, pan masala till Nov 2025

The West Bengal government has extended the ban on manufacturing, storing and selling gutkha and pan masala products containing tobacco or nicotine for another year, which shall be starting from November 7.

The order was issued by the state health department on October 24, citing public health concerns.

"The Commissioner of Food Safety of the state is empowered under Section 30 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to prohibit in the interest of public health, the manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of any article of food in the whole of State, for a period of one year", the order stated.  Gutkha and pan masala, both see a wide usage of tobacco as well as nicotine as ingredients.

The state governments usually earn a lot of tax revenue from the sale of these items. However, in the interest of public health, many states across the country have gradually taken steps to ban gutkha and other products with nicotine.

 

The Mamata Banerjee government had decided to ban gutkha, betel spice and several other tobacco products for the first time in 2019. In 2013, the state government had earlier banned khaini, gutkha and pan masala in West Bengal for one year.