Former health minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday said the general public is apprehensive that the Health Ministry has succumbed to the pressure of tobacco lobby and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to increase the size of pictorial warning on tobacco products from 40 percent to 85 percent.
Former health minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday said the general public is apprehensive that the Health Ministry has succumbed to the pressure of tobacco lobby and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to increase the size of pictorial warning on tobacco products from 40 percent to 85 percent.
He said that pictorial warning was a prerequisite to create awareness against tobacco consumption among the poor and illiterate people.
"General public feels and they are apprehensive that the health ministry has succumbed to the pressure of tobacco lobby. It doesn't augur well for the country and I urge the Prime Minister to immediately intervene and bring back the notification, increasing the size of warning from 40 to 85 percent," said Ramadoss.
The former health minister also voiced his concern over the presence of tobacco baron Shyam Saran Gupta in the parliamentary panel and demanded his sacking as it was a clear case of a conflict of interest.
"The committees are recommending for legislating laws for India and when a person, who has got conflict of interest in the committee, he has to be removed immediately and also -- by his ignorant utterances -- it is very unfortunate," added Ramadoss.
Gupta, who had earlier argued against tough curbs on tobacco firms, has reportedly denied that he has a beedi (hand-rolled cigarettes) empire.
The Health Ministry put in abeyance its order that had sought to increase the warning size on the main display area of the packets of tobacco products from April 1, citing an interim report from a parliament panel that sought more time to hear all stakeholders before implementation.
Incumbent Health Minister J P Nadda has insisted that the government is committed to its stand on increasing the size of pictorial warning and curbing tobacco consumption in all its forms and have informed the panel on the same.
The debate over pictorial warnings on tobacco products has gained steam after Sunita Tomar, the poster woman for anti-tobacco drive in India who die d on Wednesday after fighting a long battle against cancer, had written to Prime Minister Modi on the issue two days before her death.
The Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate Legislation is examining the provisions of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003.
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