The Supreme Court on Tuesday summoned minutes of the group of ministers’ (GoM) meeting to find out whether former central health
minister Anbumani Ramadoss had told the truth on the government succumbing to pressure on the tobacco warning on cigarettes rule.
Ramadoss had alleged that the minutes of the meeting were changed to suit cigarette and bidi manufacturers.
The government admitted the warning was diluted, but said the new warning will come into effect without fail from May 31. There would be no more postponement in this regard, it said.
“At least some pictorial warning will come into force,” the government said. “Better to start with something,” it added.
On Saturday, Ramadoss alleged the government had succumbed to pressure from the tobacco and cigarette manufacturers’ lobby to dilute the pictorial warning specifications on cigarette packets.
Addressing the media, he said: “I understand the government has decided to have pictorial warning of 40% only on retail cigarette and beedi packets and not on other bulk packages.”
According to him, the minimum pictorial warning sign on one side of the packet is 30% internationally. In India, it is going to be 20% on one side as the government has decided on 40% norm.
“I had recorded in the minutes of the meeting of Group of Ministers chaired by (External Affairs) Pranab Mukherjee held on Feb 3 that no decision on pictorial warning was taken. The minutes of that meeting seems to be changed after I quit the government,” he alleged.
Images of skull and bones, scorpion (the zodiac sign for cancer), lungs are some of the pictorial warning options.
Tobacco is an annual or bi-annual growing 1-3 meters tall with large sticky leaves that contain nicotine. Native to the Americas, tobacco has a long history of use as a shamanic inebriant and stimulant. It is extremely popular and well-known for its addictive potential.
Nicotiana rustica leaves.
Nicotiana rustica leaves have a nicotine content as high as 9%, whereas Nicotiana tabacum (common tobacco) leaves contain about 1 to 3%
A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco which is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Sumatra, Philippines, and the Eastern United States.
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines. In consumption it may be in the form of cigarettes smoking, snuffing, chewing, dipping tobacco, or snus.
