The op-ed criticizes the Union Government’s decision to put a hold on the amendments to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008 which sought to increase the size of health warnings from the current 40% to 85% of the packets’ surface area. The authors first dispel the concerns and justifications, as given by the Union Health Ministry to support their initiation of putting the amendments in abeyance, by alluding to the studies which show a link between tobacco use and various diseases including cancer.
The authors then argue not only how representatives and lobbyists of the tobacco industry unscrupulously claim uncertainty over risks of health dangers associated with the use of tobacco in order to fight regulatory measures but also how their commercial and vested interests should not unfavourably affect the Government’s public health goals (under the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC)).
Written by: Jayna Kothari & Aparna Ravi