The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified new sets of specified health warnings for all tobacco product packages by making an amendment in the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008, dated July 21, 2022. The amended Rules will be applicable from December 1 of this year.
“The new set of specified health warnings shall be for a period of twelve months following its commencement. The soft or printable version of the specified health warnings in 19 languages are available on the websites’’ said a release issued by the Ministry on Friday.
It added that all tobacco products manufactured or imported or packaged on or after December 1, 2022 shall display a new image with the textual health warning ‘Tobacco causes painful death’.
“Also those manufactured or imported or packaged on or after December 1, 2023 shall display an image (second) with the textual health warning ‘Tobacco Users die younger,’’’ the Ministry said.
Any person engaged directly or indirectly in the manufacture, production, supply, import or distribution of cigarettes or any tobacco products shall ensure that all tobacco product packages shall have the specified health warnings exactly as prescribed.
Violation is a punishable offence with imprisonment or fine as prescribed in Section 20 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.
