India’s Initiatives: ( REDUCTION OF TOBACCO CONSUMPTION)- UPSC Daily Important Topic | 13 March 2023

India’s Initiatives: ( REDUCTION OF TOBACCO CONSUMPTION)

✓Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003: It replaced the Cigarettes Act of 1975 (largely limited to statutory warnings- ‘Cigarette Smoking is Injurious to Health’ to be displayed on cigarette packs and advertisements. It did not include non-cigarettes).

The 2003 Act also included cigars, bidis, cheroots, pipe tobacco, hookah, chewing tobacco, pan masala, and gutka.

✓Promulgation of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Ordinance, 2019:

It prohibits Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement of e-Cigarettes.

✓National Tobacco Quitline Services (NTQLS):

Tobacco Quitline Services have the potential to reach a large number of tobacco users with the sole objective to provide telephone-based information, advice, support, and referrals for tobacco cessation.

✓mCessation Programme:

It is an initiative using mobile technology for tobacco cessation.

India launched mCessation using text messages in 2016 as part of the government’s Digital India initiative.