With a number states deciding to ban use and sale of gutka, the Union
health ministry has urged the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government to follow
its counterparts in rest of the country in banning sale of such products
in the state.
So far, states of Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Delhi have implemented the provision as envisaged under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulation and enforced enforce ban on manufacture, sale and storage of gutka and pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine in their states. Chandigarh also followed the suit and banned the sale, manufacture and storage of gutka.
In a recent letter to the health department in UP, the health ministry has asked the state to ban gutka in their state as well. “The consumption of tobacco laced pan masala is high in UP,” said a senior official in health ministry. In Delhi alone, about 8.3 per cent population consumes gutka.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), about 3.82 crore people consume gutka in the country. Experts feel that if the same restriction is replicated in other states as well, the number of cases of mouth cancer will come down drastically within five years as gutka is the main reason for the deadly cancer.
The health ministyr had earlier issued instructions to the states against allowing use of tobacco-laced gutka or pan masala, after it was established that gutka was a food product that fell under the Prevention of Food Adultration Law. The Supreme Court had also ruled in an order that gutka be treated as a food item. That being the case, its adulteration is violative of laws. Tobacco, which is an injurious substance, cannot be used in gutka, the health ministry had said earlier. The ministry hasdalso asked the the FSSAI to make relevant amendments in the prevention of food adultration law.
The ban on gutka has had an enormous effect on the lives of the people. According to a recent survey, the recent ban on gutka and tobacco with pan masala and nicotine has impacted over 580 million people across the country.
So far, states of Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Delhi have implemented the provision as envisaged under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulation and enforced enforce ban on manufacture, sale and storage of gutka and pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine in their states. Chandigarh also followed the suit and banned the sale, manufacture and storage of gutka.
In a recent letter to the health department in UP, the health ministry has asked the state to ban gutka in their state as well. “The consumption of tobacco laced pan masala is high in UP,” said a senior official in health ministry. In Delhi alone, about 8.3 per cent population consumes gutka.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), about 3.82 crore people consume gutka in the country. Experts feel that if the same restriction is replicated in other states as well, the number of cases of mouth cancer will come down drastically within five years as gutka is the main reason for the deadly cancer.
The health ministyr had earlier issued instructions to the states against allowing use of tobacco-laced gutka or pan masala, after it was established that gutka was a food product that fell under the Prevention of Food Adultration Law. The Supreme Court had also ruled in an order that gutka be treated as a food item. That being the case, its adulteration is violative of laws. Tobacco, which is an injurious substance, cannot be used in gutka, the health ministry had said earlier. The ministry hasdalso asked the the FSSAI to make relevant amendments in the prevention of food adultration law.
The ban on gutka has had an enormous effect on the lives of the people. According to a recent survey, the recent ban on gutka and tobacco with pan masala and nicotine has impacted over 580 million people across the country.
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