Tobacco in gutkha to go

The first-ever battle against gutkha launched by Anil Deshmukh, the State Food and Civil Supplies Minister, in 2001-02 is bearing fruits in 2007. From August 20, no tobacco-mixed gutkha can be manufactured, marketed, advertised or sold in the country.

From August 20, gutkha makers must sell tobacco and beetle nut in two different pouches. If found to have mixed magnesium carbonate in of these pouches, they will be liable for stern action and criminal proceedings initiated against them by the Food and Drugs Administration department of the respective state governments.

This is fallout of the recent amendment in the Section 42 of the Provision of Food and Adulteration Act, 1954, and Provision of Food and Adulteration Rule, 1955. The amendment strictly prohibits mixing of tobacco and any other nicotine products in any food item, clearly implying that the production of pre-mixed gutkha, that contains tobacco and magnesium carbonate, will be banned.

Talking to DNA, Baba Siddiqui, Minister of State for Food and Drugs Administration (independent charge), said, “We have started lodging FIRs against the manufacturers who were found adding magnesium carbonate in the gutkha. Till date, as many as 17 such FIRs have been filed against almost all major gutkha makers in the country who are selling their products in the Maharashtra.”

It may be noted that Anil Deshmukh had imposed a ban on making, marketing, advertising and selling of all forms of gutkha in the state. Interestingly, it had coincided with the detection of throat cancer to Sharad Pawar, president of NCP, to which Deshmukh belonged. But, the ban could not be imposed for more than six months as the product was covered under Provision of Food and Adulteration Act, 1954, and Provision of Food and Adulteration Rule, 1955.

It is only after Pawar took over as Union Food Minister in the UPA that the said act was amended for this effect.