'Cannot ban sale of tobacco, paan masala if sold separately'

 It is not possible for the State government to ban the sale of paan masala and chewing tobacco if they are sold in separate sachets, Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader told the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

He was replying to a question by A S Patil (Cong) on some outlets selling paan masala and chewing tobacco separately after the ban was imposed on the sale of products containing tobacco and nicotine under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011.

He said the regulation only permitted the ban of products containing both tobacco and nicotine. To another question by Yashwantarayagouda Patil (Cong), Khader said the government would open a dialysis centre in every taluk in the State.

The centres will be in place by the end of this financial year, he added.

Recommendation

Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya told Raju Alagur (Congress) that the government would consider recommending the Centre to include Talwara, Koli, Gangavathi and Kabbaliga communities under the Scheduled Tribe category after getting a study report prepared by the Kuvempu University.