World No Tobacco Day 2013: None to check sale of cigarette packs sans gory pics

Both food and drugs administration (FDA) and health department are simply passing the buck on each other. According to the new cigarette and other tobacco products (packaging and labelling) amendment rules, 2012, all tobacco product packs in the country are required to carry new pictorial warnings notified by the Union Ministry of Health from April 1 onwards. Most of the brands being sold without the use of gory picture on cigarette packs are manufactured in South-east Asia. One of the biggest suppliers of cigarette to the north Indian market , a Delhi based trader for Indonesian cigarette manufacturer Gudang Garam said, "Most cigarette packs which do not carry the pictorial health warning are smuggled into the country." Much of the anti-tobacco campaign in Madhya Pradesh is focused on enforcing the ban on sale of tobacco- mixed gutkha. Sale of these foreign products alternatively results in loss of tax revenue for the government."These packs fetch much more than regular Indian makes. Without any import duty, these foreign makes are billed differently to avoid certain taxes," said a Bhopal based cigarette seller, seeking anonymity.The public health and family welfare department is responsible for enforcing the act on all tobacco products, said FDA state commissioner DD Agarwal."Tobacco is not consumed as food nor is a pharmaceutical drug," he added.If the same logic was to be applied, then FDA sleuths should not be enforcing the guktha ban too.Speaking to TOI, director health Sanjay Goel explained his department's position."As far as I understand, FDA has to enforce the act. Need be the help of the police should be taken." It is estimated that more than 10 lakh people die each year due to tobacco use in India. According to cigarette package health warnings international status report India is ranked 123 for the past two years in its fight against tobacco use.