ban of smoking

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has implemented the ban on smoking at public places in India from October 2onwards. The ministry issued the notification for the ban under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution), Act 2003. At first glance, it’s very clear that the law will make the smokers incapable of smoking anywhere they like. But the question is whether this law will prove more effective as compared to the previous law or not? Central Health minister Anbumani Ramadoss had said that according to the GSR 417(E) declaration of May 30, 2008, the new law, which was implimented from October 2, 2008, is a renewal of the old one. That means the old was not much effective in controlling ‘public smokers’. Then what will be the end result of the new one .
Central Health minister had said that,” In the last ten months in England around 45,000 people have quit smoking and he expects something like this to happen in India soon”. But the population of smokers and social situation exist in India is quite different as compared to England. So there should be a strict enforcement of the new law. Cigarettes contribute 85 per cent to the total excise revenues collected from the tobacco industry, amounting to Rs 8,500 crores. So the question is whether Ramdas is ready to cut these profits, given more than twice that the amount is spent by the citizens of India to cure the diseases caused by tobacco every year. There is no dearth of laws in India. Most of the laws are helpful, but fail due to slack implementation. Let’s hope that the new law, which came to effect from Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary,will prove effective for the better health of the nation . A special squad to find law breakers is necessary. Otherwise, the law would be like the closed circuit cameras placed in Delhi at the time of serial blasts.