29 November -12 December 2008,tamil Nadu

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, Tamil Nadu

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Pictorial health warnings on tobacco packets by June next year: Ramadoss Earlier the pictorial health warnings were supposed to come into force by Dec 1 (Monday) but following deferment of the decision, they can only be expected to come by June next year. "Had the government left it only to my ministry, then we would have certainly implemented it right on time. But the reality is the group of ministers (GOM) headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee took a decision to this effect," Ramadoss, here to participate in a conference on diabetes.

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: The Hindu, Chennai, Tmail Nadu: 2 December 2008)

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26 Fined for smoking in public places The Corporation officials have imposed fines on a total of 26 persons for smoking in public during surprise checks carried out over three days ending on Thursday. Health Officer K.R. Jawaharlal said that fines ranging from Rs.100 to Rs. 200 were levied from the defaulters under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. (Source: The Hindu, Chennai, Tamil Nadu: 5 December 2008)

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Cenvat rate cut not to cover tobacco products: Finance Ministry There is no relief on the wallet for smokers and users of tobacco products. The 4 percentage-point Cenvat rate cut announced by the Government on Sunday as part of the fiscal stimulus package does not cover tobacco products, the Finance Ministry has said. “No change has been made in the excise duty rates on petroleum products, specific rated items and tobacco products,” a Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) official said. (Source: Hindu Business Line, Chennai, Tamil Nadu: 9 December 2008)

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Tobacco exports likely surge 69% in April-Oct period The country's tobacco exports surged 69 per cent to Rs 1,952.43 crore in April-October this year compared to the year-ago period on the back of better price realisation. In volume terms, tobacco exports, comprising raw tobacco and its products, rose by 24 per cent to 1,45,541 tonnes during April to October from 1,17,118 tonnes in the same period last year, a senior Tobacco Board official told PTI. (Source: The Hindu Business Line, Chennai, Tamil Nadu: 4 December 2008)

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Stringent implementation of the law and education of teenagers and young people was essential An awareness campaign against the ill-effects of smoking was organised at Sagarika Auditorium at the Naval Base on Friday. The former acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, K. Narayana Kurup, was the guest speaker of the function that was presided over by Rear Admiral H. C. S. Bisht, Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command. Justice Kurup brought out the harmful effects of tobacco and said a contemplation of these issues was what led to a ban on smoking in public places in the State. Rear Admiral Bisht,

Provided by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use

Issue 7 in his concluding remarks, said stringent implementation of the law and education of teenagers and young people was essential. (Source: The Hindu, Chennai, Tamil Nadu: 4 December 2008)

Provided by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use