Govt proposes ban on e-cigarettes, jail terms for offenders: Report

Health ministry's plan would deal a blow to U.S.-based Juul Labs Inc, which is hoping to launch its e-cigarette in India.

India's health ministry has proposed a ban on the production and import of electronic cigarettes, documents seen by Reuters showed, potentially jeopardising the expansion plans of big firms like Juul Labs and Philip Morris International.

The ministry has proposed that the government issue an executive order banning the devices in the public interest, saying it was needed to ensure e-cigarettes don't become an "epidemic" among children and young adults.

"E-cigarettes and similar technologies that encourage tobacco use or adversely impact public health are hazardous for an active as well as passive user," the health ministry said in an internal note seen by