State government reverses ban on ‘chewing tobacco’

In a U-turn, the Health Department on Saturday replaced the words “chewing tobacco” in its earlier tobacco ban order with “pan masala and gutka.”

Commissioner of Food Safety Subodh Yadav issued the new circular making the changes to the earlier one dated October 26, 2016. While the Commissioner argued that this was “in accordance with the Supreme Court directions”, anti-tobacco activists said it amounted to “contempt of court and yielding to the tobacco lobby”.

Mr. Yadav said the new circular was in keeping with a clarification issued by the Advocate-General. “Although the ban on pan masala and gutka had been announced earlier, there was no explicit order on that,” he explained. However, anti-tobacco activists alleged that the State was “deliberately undermining the fight against tobacco”.

Twin sachets

One of the activists, who did not wish to be named, said this would make way for sale of twin sachets — one sachet containing pan masala or gutka and the other chewing tobacco — by the same manufacturer.