The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill that provides for pictorial warning on tobacco products, with the option of displaying skull and crossbones on its packets.

The controversial bill, which was moved by Union Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi, was passed by voice vote without any discussion amid an uproar. The uproar was  created by the opposition NDA over its demand for setting up a Joint Parliamentary Committee to look into the Indo-US nuclear deal.

The amendment was introduced in  sub section (1) of section 7 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. The 2003 bill was enacted mainly to take effective steps to discourage the use of tobacco and its  products, so as to protect public health.

Objections were raised from several MPs and political parties about making display of skull and crossbones warning mandatory on all tobacco products, especially bidi.

The  government then decided to make the pictorial warning optional, rather than mandatory, on the grounds that it would hurt “religious sentiments expressed by certain sections of society.”

Under sub section (1) of section 7 of the Act, no person shall, directly or indirectly produce, supply or distribute cigarette or any other tobacco products unless every package of cigarettes or any other tobacco products produced, supplied or distributed by him bears thereon, or on its label, the specified health warning.

As per the amended Bill 2007, health warning includes pictorial depiction of skull and crossbones. It also includes such other warnings as may be prescribed by the rules made by the Central Government under the Act.
Ms Lakshmi had earlier informed the Lok Sabha that the specified health warning would come into effect from October 1 this year.

Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss had earlier announced that all tobacco products should carry pictorial warnings, covering half of the package. He had also added  that they would have to display skull and crossbones and show a photo of a dead person who smoked.

The pictorial warning on all tobacco products, especially bidi, was to come into effect from June 1 this year. But due to immense pressure from several MPs and political parties from states like Andhra Pradesh with a large bidi industry, the decision was deferred.

It is estimated that around one million people are working in the bidi industry. Bidi manufacturers had said their business would suffer due to the depiction of the warning.

The government then set up a group of ministers, headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The group said that skull and crossbones symbol would hurt religious sentiments of the people.

Mr Ramadoss said there would be “no compromise” on the issue as tobacco was the leading cause of cancers in the country, with an estimated 250 million people using tobacco.