<p class="title">Some vaping products were still listed on the Indian websites of Amazon.com Inc and Walmart's Flipkart on Thursday, while several other websites discontinued their sales a day after the government's nationwide ban.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Warning of an "epidemic" among young people, India banned sale, production, import and advertising of e-cigarettes, dealing a blow to the plans of companies such as Juul Labs and Philip Morris International to sell the products in the country.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Websites such as Vapestop and Litejoy, which offered vaping products online, discountinued their operations and ran disclaimers on their websites related to the government order.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, it was still possible to purchase vaping devices from the e-commerce websites of Amazon.com and Flipkart, according to product listings reviewed by Reuters on Thursday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Amazon offered a "Honey Badger" vape device, which resembled a USB flash drive, for 2,799 rupees ($39.35), with flavoured vape refills of mint, butter tobacco, mango and berry. Flipkart also listed the product.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A Reuters reporter successfully placed an order for the device on Amazon on Thursday. Other pen-shaped smoking vapes, with a small liquid bottle, were also available on the e-commerce website.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On vaping devices still being available for sale on Amazon and Flipkart, senior health ministry official Vikas Sheel said such products should be removed.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Online advertising and sale is banned. E-commerce service providers should take down the advertisements and sale offers immediately," Sheel told Reuters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">When contacted about the product listings, an Amazon spokeswoman in India said she would provide a comment in due course.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Flipkart said in a statement: "We are aware of the ordinance and immediately alerted our teams to work with sellers to take all products off the platform."</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Wednesday, while announcing the ban, India's health ministry said use of e-cigarettes, which come in attractive appearances and multiple flavours, had increased exponentially and acquired epidemic proportions in developed countries, especially among youth and children.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The ban was issued through an executive order, which has been in force since Wednesday night, a health ministry spokeswoman said.</p>
<p class="title">Some vaping products were still listed on the Indian websites of Amazon.com Inc and Walmart's Flipkart on Thursday, while several other websites discontinued their sales a day after the government's nationwide ban.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Warning of an "epidemic" among young people, India banned sale, production, import and advertising of e-cigarettes, dealing a blow to the plans of companies such as Juul Labs and Philip Morris International to sell the products in the country.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Websites such as Vapestop and Litejoy, which offered vaping products online, discountinued their operations and ran disclaimers on their websites related to the government order.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, it was still possible to purchase vaping devices from the e-commerce websites of Amazon.com and Flipkart, according to product listings reviewed by Reuters on Thursday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Amazon offered a "Honey Badger" vape device, which resembled a USB flash drive, for 2,799 rupees ($39.35), with flavoured vape refills of mint, butter tobacco, mango and berry. Flipkart also listed the product.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A Reuters reporter successfully placed an order for the device on Amazon on Thursday. Other pen-shaped smoking vapes, with a small liquid bottle, were also available on the e-commerce website.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On vaping devices still being available for sale on Amazon and Flipkart, senior health ministry official Vikas Sheel said such products should be removed.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Online advertising and sale is banned. E-commerce service providers should take down the advertisements and sale offers immediately," Sheel told Reuters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">When contacted about the product listings, an Amazon spokeswoman in India said she would provide a comment in due course.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Flipkart said in a statement: "We are aware of the ordinance and immediately alerted our teams to work with sellers to take all products off the platform."</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Wednesday, while announcing the ban, India's health ministry said use of e-cigarettes, which come in attractive appearances and multiple flavours, had increased exponentially and acquired epidemic proportions in developed countries, especially among youth and children.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The ban was issued through an executive order, which has been in force since Wednesday night, a health ministry spokeswoman said.</p>