29 November -12 December 2008, Delhi

Issue 7

Tobacco Control in India Fortnightly News Summary

1-12 December 2008 withdraw the notification prohibiting surrogate advertising of alcoholic and tobacco products.

NATIONAL HEADLINES

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Pictorial warning on tobacco products not during UPA tenure: Ramadoss Admitting defeat in ensuring pictorial health warnings on packets of cigarettes and other tobacco products, India's Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss Saturday said the decision has been deferred by at least six months -- by when the current United Progressive Alliance government would have finished its term. (Source: The Hindu: 2 December

(Source: Press Trust of India: 4December 2008)

STATE HEADLINES, New Delhi

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Banning on-screen smoking affects depiction of reality: Bhatt Noted film director Mahesh Bhatt today contended before the Delhi High Court that ban on smoking scenes in films and television programmes would prevent filmmakers from depicting reality on silver screen. "I am not glamourising smoking but depicting reality by showing actors smoking in films," senior advocate Sandeep Sethi appearing for the film-maker said, adding that any ban on it would adversely impact depiction of reality in films.

2008)

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Deferment of pictorial warnings gives beedi workers a breather The Union ministry of health and family welfare has deferred its plan to enforce legislation that stipulates printing of pictorial warning on beedi packets and tobacco products by six months, giving a breather to the beedi industry that employs 10 million workers across the country. The All India Beedi Industry Federation had last month said that as many as one million workers, mostly women, employed in the industry will lose their jobs in the next few months as a recent ban on smoking in public places, together with the display of pictorial warnings on packs, will discourage tobacco consumption, triggering a fall in sales. (Source: Live Mint News: 5 December 2008)

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Tobacco warning may be postpone The warning, due to be implemented from December 1, was deferred to May 31 at a meeting on Monday. According to sources, the beedi industry issued a strike notice and this triggered the meeting. (Source: The Times of India: 2 December 2008)

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Court won’t interfere with order on pictorial warning on tobacco packs A Division Bench of the Madras High Court has refused to interfere with an order passed by a single judge vacating the interim stay on Labelling Rules notified by the Centre on March 15 making it mandatory to print specified pictorial warnings in cigarette and other tobacco packets. (Source: The Hindu: 2 December 2008)

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Poor in India-China have limited access to cardiotreatment Cardiovascular epidemic is making inroads in many lowand middle-income countries (LMIC) like India and China, but the poor have limited or no access to treatment facilities. Disease risk factors like obesity, high blood pressure, tobacco smoking and diabetes, are on the increase in LMICs. (Source: Indo-Asian News Service: 4December 2008)

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Govt. Turns down request of broadcasters on surrogate advt Government has not acceded to the request of private broadcasters to withdraw its notification prohibiting surrogate advertising on television. In a written reply to Lok Sabha here today, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Anand Sharma said that Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) in a representation to the ministry dated March 31, 2008 had requested it to

(Source: Press Trust of India, New Delhi: 2 December 2008)

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Double stand on tobacco irks experts The government is indulging in doublespeak about pictorial warnings on tobacco products. At an international forum, the government is advocating the concept of plain packaging in which tobacco products have only the brand name and pictorial warning. However, at home, it is delaying implementation of pictorial warnings on tobacco products. (Source: Mail Today, New Delhi: 2 December 2008)

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Deadline for pictorial warnings on tobacco products put off, again Less than a week before its order mandating pictorial warnings on tobacco products was to come into effect, the Government has decided to give the tobacco companies a reprieve. The Government is learnt to have decided to defer the November 30 deadline by at least four months. This is the fifth time that the deadline has been deferred. The idea was meant to be originally implemented under court orders in February 2007 but the Government has been postponing it under one pretext or the other, apparently because of pressure from the tobacco lobby. (Source: Press Trust of India, New Delhi: 2 December 2008)

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Worldwide support for ban on smoking in cars with kids A newly published review of 15 research studies across Britain, North America, Australia and New Zealand shows there is considerable support for tougher action on smoking in cars. The first such review was conducted by George Thomson and Nick Wilson of the University of Otago, Wellington. (Source: News Track India, New Delhi, Delhi: 9 December 2008)

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Voluntary Health of India (VHAI) Condemns GoM Decision The tobacco control community and public health organizations strongly condemn the shocking decision taken at a meeting of the GoM on 24 November 2008 to defer the much awaited implementation of pictorial warnings on all tobacco products from 30 November 2008. This decision on has been repeatedly postponed several times since February 2007. Ironically, the news of this postponement came in while at Durban, South Africa, India along with nearly 160 nations came together on 22 November 2008 and signed a treaty unanimously

Provided by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use

Issue 7 adopting the guidelines for Article 11 of the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) which refers to the packaging and labeling of tobacco products. The Government of India was present in that meeting. (Source: Business Wire, New Delhi, Delhi: 9 December 2008)

Provided by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use