Image

Warning on tobacco product packages to cover 85 per cent of display area

by IBNS 22 Jul 2016, 08:21 am

New Delhi, Jul 22 (IBNS): Union Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare) Anupriya Patel, informed the Lok Sabha on Friday that the central government has mandated that the size of health warnings on tobacco product packages will be 85 per cent of the main display area.

The minister said that the central government has already enhanced the size of health warnings on tobacco product packages vide notification of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2014, dated October 15, 2014 and further notification dated September 24, 2015 which mandates specified health warnings covering 85 per cent of the principal display area of the packages of tobacco products with effect from April 1, 2016. 


According to a report published in September 2014, India is ranked 136 among 198 countries based on warning size on packages of Cigarettes. The report titled Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status Report was compiled by Canadian Cancer Society with contributions from the World Health Organisation Tobacco Free Initiative, the Campaign for Tobacco- Free Kids, and the Framework Convention Alliance.