New Delhi: While the parliamentary committee on subordinate legislation has said in its final report that it will be “too harsh” to have “bolder” pictorial warnings on tobacco products, and asked the government to have a “balanced approach”, the Centre has decided “not to change course” and stay firm on harsh pictorial warnings, to come into effect from April 1.
The report, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, will be sent to the Rajasthan high court, that also ordered the government to implement its notification on warnings covering 85 per cent of cigarette packets.
As reported first in this newspaper, the MPs’ committee recommended warnings on cigarette packets should cover 50 per cent of the display area instead of 85 per cent. A senior government official, however, made it clear that unless the court directs otherwise, the warnings would still cover 85 per cent.
“The government is complying with the court’s order to implement the earlier notification. The warnings were put off last year following the committee’s recommendation in its interim report. This final report will now be sent to the court, and unless the court intervenes and orders us to do otherwise, the present situation will prevail. We will not change our course,” a senior official told this newspaper.
The parliamentary report also said that for the bidi industry, which according to them is a “unique feature of the country”, the government should “reconsider” its decision to cover the bidi industry and said in their case it will be viable to increase the size of warnings up to 50 per cent on one side of a bidi packet and for chewing tobacco, zarda, khaini, misri, etc.
