ID :
30358
Sat, 11/15/2008 - 16:37
Auther :
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http://m.oananews.org//node/30358
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Health Ministry under "pressure" to relax Anti-Tobacco Act
New Delhi, Nov 14 (PTI) The tobacco industry is putting
"pressure" on the Health Ministry to revise the Anti-Tobacco
Act, the ministry has alleged before the Central Information
Commission.
"There is pressure on the Ministry to revise the Anti
Tobacco Act by the tobacco industry," Health Ministry's Chief
Public Information Officer (C.P.I.O.) submitted before
Information Commissioner Annapurna Dixit during the hearing of
an Right to Information (R.T.I.) plea of Shanmuga Patro who
sought recommendations and reports on the basis of which
amendments were made in the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco
Products Act.
The ministry also said in its submission before the
Central Information Commission (C.I.C.) that there are number
of ongoing cases in the Himachal Pradesh High Court and
revealing any details about the meetings of group of ministers
in this regard would weaken the stand of the government.
Dixit accepted the arguments of the Health Ministry and
asked them to forward Patro's application to Parliament so
that affidavits filed by the government in the High Court, in
the case, can be provided to him.
Last month, the Health Ministry gave nod for labelling
the cigarette and bidi retails packs, to be started from
December 1, with gory pictures of cancer and other diseases
caused due to tobacco consumption.
In the order, the government had relaxed the norms for
the big bidi packages exempting it from such depictions. It
allowed manufacturers to display specified health warnings on
retail packages only.
The relaxation allegedly came under pressure from
different industry associations, including the All India Bidi
Industries Federation.
The government had notified "The Cigarettes and Other
Tobacco Products (Packing and Labelling) Rules" in 2006. It
mandated every package of cigarette or any other tobacco
product to contain the specified health warning comprising of
skull and bones sign, a health warning, a gory picture of
ill-effects of tobacco use and a health message.
These rules were to be implemented from February, 2007
but stiff opposition and litigations from the industry
resulted in the delay. The industry associations claimed that
it will adversely affect the business and may also result in
job loss for poor workers. PTI ABS
DEP
"pressure" on the Health Ministry to revise the Anti-Tobacco
Act, the ministry has alleged before the Central Information
Commission.
"There is pressure on the Ministry to revise the Anti
Tobacco Act by the tobacco industry," Health Ministry's Chief
Public Information Officer (C.P.I.O.) submitted before
Information Commissioner Annapurna Dixit during the hearing of
an Right to Information (R.T.I.) plea of Shanmuga Patro who
sought recommendations and reports on the basis of which
amendments were made in the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco
Products Act.
The ministry also said in its submission before the
Central Information Commission (C.I.C.) that there are number
of ongoing cases in the Himachal Pradesh High Court and
revealing any details about the meetings of group of ministers
in this regard would weaken the stand of the government.
Dixit accepted the arguments of the Health Ministry and
asked them to forward Patro's application to Parliament so
that affidavits filed by the government in the High Court, in
the case, can be provided to him.
Last month, the Health Ministry gave nod for labelling
the cigarette and bidi retails packs, to be started from
December 1, with gory pictures of cancer and other diseases
caused due to tobacco consumption.
In the order, the government had relaxed the norms for
the big bidi packages exempting it from such depictions. It
allowed manufacturers to display specified health warnings on
retail packages only.
The relaxation allegedly came under pressure from
different industry associations, including the All India Bidi
Industries Federation.
The government had notified "The Cigarettes and Other
Tobacco Products (Packing and Labelling) Rules" in 2006. It
mandated every package of cigarette or any other tobacco
product to contain the specified health warning comprising of
skull and bones sign, a health warning, a gory picture of
ill-effects of tobacco use and a health message.
These rules were to be implemented from February, 2007
but stiff opposition and litigations from the industry
resulted in the delay. The industry associations claimed that
it will adversely affect the business and may also result in
job loss for poor workers. PTI ABS
DEP
