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Government, consumers, NGO Representation
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Create awareness of dangers of tobacco
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Process for Banning Smoking in films
Federal Minister of Health Anbumani Ramdoss said that a Central Tobacco
Authority (CTA) with unprecedented powers to implement the provisions of the
Tobacco Act is being planned and revealed in the next couple of months. The
authority will have representatives of the Government, consumers, NGOs, and
anti-tobacco activists on its board and will investigate provisions of the Act
to explore its effectiveness and propose change to the rules or introduce
amendments.
Ramdoss said that CTA will also generate awareness of the harmful effects of
tobacco and will also control a tobacco-testing laboratory. He also said that
state-level authorities will also be set up for implementation, supervision and
monitoring. Ramdoss said "It is essential to set up such an authority because
the Tobacco Act now is not implemented at all. For instance, smoking in
restaurants and hotels, except in designated zones, is completely prohibited.
That provision is followed more in violation."
The Health Ministry has also worked with the Information and Broadcasting
Ministry modus operandi and process that filmmakers must follow to get Censor
Board clearance so smoking is not encouraged by films in India. He said that
any movie with a smoking scene will automatically get an adult certification
and the onus is on the filmmaker to show why smoking is necessary for the
movie. If the filmmakers are able to show cause, then they would have to insert
warnings at the start and end of the
movie and scrolls.
The Health Ministry is also proposing an alternative plans for the
rehabilitation of tobacco farmers. They will be encouraged to cease cultivation
of tobacco and take up medicinal plants. A Medicinal Plant Processing Zones (MPPZ)
will be set up with the Commerce Ministry, and these will provide seeds,
know-how and implements to farmers, buy back the products and sell them in
foreign or domestic markets.
Ramdoss said "It is estimated that by 2050, medicinal plants will become a
five trillion dollar industry. With the MPPZs in place, medicinal plants will
become cash crops."
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