New Delhi: The Finance Minister, Niramal Sitharaman, said that the Cabinet has decided to ban e-cigarettes and e-hookas in the country. Violators will be fined Rs. 1 lakh for the first time offence and if repeated offenders will be fined upto Rs. 5 laks or a jail term of three years or even both.
The ban is on the production, manufacturing, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, or advertisement of e-cigarettes. The ban will be extended to other electronic nicotine delivery systems like e-hookas.
The Finance Minister cited a US study that there has been a 900% growth in e-cigarettes between 2011 and 2015-16. E-cigarettes or Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) had gained widespread popularity among the youngsters in the country.
Secretary Health and Family Welfare, Preeti Sudan, said that the decision was taken on the basis of international evidence in this regard. A report of the government stated that ENDS not only contain nicotine that is addictive but also other dangerous substances such as flavouring substances and vapourisers.
Information and Broadcasting Minister, Prakash Javadekar said, “This is a welcome step. Prevention is always better.”
