Traders ask PM to drop 'harsh' norms on sale, promotion of tobacco products

New proposals like booking of retailers selling loose cigarettes and 7 years of imprisonment, are unacceptable, traders argued

The Federation of Retailers Association of India (FRAI), an industry body representing 40 million micro and small traders, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the proposed norms on sale and promotion of tobacco products. Flagging their concerns over the adverse impact the new norms might have on small traders, the body has sought immediate intervention by the PM. 

According to FRAI, the proposed amendments by the Ministry of Health in Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (CoTPA) through a CoTPA Bill, 2020, will severely impact the livelihoods of traders already devasted by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. “We humbly