Tobacco advertisements of Philip Morris' brands removed as per law
Activists to go to court for legal action against Godfrey Phillips
The point-of-sale tobacco advertisements that were violating the Indian tobacco control Act in Goa, India, were removed by the evening of 16 January 2008.
In the lead up to the removal of these advertisements, activists and media had reported that the advertisements of a cigarette brand of world's largest tobacco company - Philip Morris' Indian subsidiary were blatantly violating 'The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003" and the rulings for the point-of-sale tobacco advertising.
Clearly due to the mounting pressure, these tobacco advertisements were removed by last evening.
"I'm extremely happy that the advertisement boards were removed! But we cannot take these violations lying down! I'm moving the local court against the Godfrey Phillips [Indian subsidiary of Philip Morris], the dealers and the kiosk owners" said
Dr Shekhar Salkar, General Secretary of National Organization for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE India). "All the activists must watch for any violation and book these irresponsible industrialists".
The rulings for point-of-sale tobacco advertising in accordance with 'The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003', envisage stringent and immediate action by the State Government against advertisement of smoking and other tobacco products.
The rules clearly mention that on point-of-sale of tobacco products, only the kind of tobacco product being sold should be mentioned, and no brand name, or any other promotional message or picture is permitted under the Indian law.
But the tobacco advertisements boards in Goa were violating this law. "This advertisement is, at the onset, reckless contempt of the law" had said Dr Salkar, in a letter addressed to the Indian subsidiary of Philip Morris demanding an unconditional apology for this gross violation and disregard to public health.
"The Act does not allow display of pictures at the point of sale of tobacco products, which has been done [pictures were displayed earlier] in the advertising board placed at a kiosk in Panaji near Hotel Lucky, opposite Municipal garden and kiosk below D. V. talaulikar hospital, Khalap Mension, Vasco,Goa. The law states that, at a point of sale of cigarettes, the boards shall contain only the words: - 'Cigarettes are sold here'" had reported Dr Salkar.
Although the rulings of the tobacco control Act mentions stringent and immediate action by the state government against such violations, it is yet to be seen how urgently and stringently will the government act to protect public health from the tobacco industry interference.
Random Stories
20 Sep 2015 - 10:46pm |
Hantigiri Narzary
NTPC,Salakati under the aegis of Bardwi Sikhla Ladies Club as a CSR initiative kickstarted a training programme for beautician, stitching & sewing respectively in Kokrajhar.Around 20 women have...
8 May 2022 - 5:08pm |
Mithun Baruah
The Child and Adolescent labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act,1986 which was enacted by the Parliament of India and the Ministry of Labour and Employment states no child under the age of 14 can...
9 Jun 2017 - 6:24am |
AT Kokrajhar Bureau
The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) has been preparing to observe 30th Bodoland movement martyrs day on June 12 at Bijni of Chirang district to mark the death anniversary of Sujit Narzary, first...
7 Nov 2016 - 9:14pm |
Ranjanjyoti Mahanta
A12 year old school boy Monday died after he was run down by a Hyundai Verna on the Nagaon-Dhing road near Kadamoni, Batadrava, Nagaon on Monday noon. According to police the accident took place when...
Other Contents by Author
"In terms of maximizing impact and joining forces to control the epidemic, this merger is an innovative and bold move," said Dr. Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director. "This is the sort of consolidation I believe we will see more of in the future across the AIDS sector."Formal merger negotiations were announced between Health...
The 'We reject Indo US Nuclear Deal' campaign was launched today in Lucknow by Dr Sandeep Pandey, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM). Dr Pandey was speaking on Indo US Nuclear Deal at Rao's IAS coaching centre on Faizabad road."The dream to provide electricity across the country by signing the Indo US Nuclear Deal is not true" said Dr Pandey. "Nuclear power is not a safe, affordable or better option for producing electricity. Rather nuclear power is a very dangerous and expensive option. The Indo US Nuclear Deal is actually a political and military deal" said Dr Pandey.There is a deliberate misinformation being...
Last week the bollywood heartthrob film-star Aamir Khan was found smoking after the launch of the latest blockbuster movie 'jaane tu … ya jaane na'. Earlier in June 2008, he was reported saying that he is back to smoking due to 'stress' related to the forthcoming release of 'jaane tu … ya jaane na' film and he will quit smoking right after the film-release. Although the film has been successfully released and is doing well at box office, the cigarettes are hard to leave… and Aamir continues to smoke. Tobacco is addictive, and some researchers feel nicotine is as addictive as heroin. It is not impossible to quit, but not easy too, because tobacco is so...
Despite of the India's legally-binding Cigarette and Other tobacco products Act (2003) and repeated appeals of India's Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss to bollywood film-stars to refrain from on-screen smoking, there seems to be less compliance in the guise of 'creative liberty'.On 30 June 2008, the Goa Bench of Mumbai High Court issued notice to megastar 'Big B' - Amitabh Bachchan - and others for allegedly violating the Anti-Tobacco Act. Goa-based anti-tobacco organisation, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), had filed the case against Bachchan and others after billboards showing the megastar smoking a cigar were raised on the Goa highway. Indian...
NAPM demands immediate closure of the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram Amidst protests against price rises of essential items throughout the country, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has again started harping on the issue of the Indo-US Nuclear Deal. Activists of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) - the largest network of people's struggles in India - opposed the deal. "The Deal has been pushed forward in India in an anti-democratic manner without approval of the Parliament - in fact in the teeth of opposition by a large majority of parliamentarians" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, who is a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and a convener of...
A 10-days fast (16 - 25 June 2008) demanding the release of Dr Binayak Sen began today in India, Pakistan, Thailand, US and UK. More than 100 organizations have endorsed this fast and campaign demanding justice for Dr Sen worldwide.Twenty-two Nobel laureates from around the world had earlier appealed to the Indian government to allow Dr Binayak Sen to receive the 2008 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights in person at the end of May 2008. But Indian government denied the permission and Dr Sen's wife received the coveted award on his behalf.Dr Binayak Sen of Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India, who has helped establish a hospital serving poor mine workers in the region, founded a...
This posting is based on The Times of India news published on 8 June 2008, to read the news, click here The ITC's license to purchase 500,000 metric tonnes of wheat directly from the farmers in Uttar Pradesh (UP) state was suspended till 30 June 2008 by UP state government. Despite of a UP government's cabinet order not to purchase wheat till 30 June 2008 during the 'Rabi' crop harvesting season, and another state government's order on 25 May 2008 which fixes stock limit for traders, ITC could manage to get a license issued from Agriculture department of UP government on 30 May 2008 to purchase 500,000 metric tonnes of wheat directly from the farmers. When the leading English newspaper...
On June 9, for the first-time government, public health and business leaders, heads of UN agencies and advocates are coming together at United Nations (UN) Headquarters to acknowledge HIV/TB as an urgent priority. This first HIV/TB Global Leaders' Forum, convened by Dr Jorge Sampaio, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Stop TB, seeks to galvanize leadership at all levels. The 2008 Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance in the World report and the 2008 Global Tuberculosis Epidemic report of World Health Organization (WHO) clearly mandates much heightened urgency in responding to TB-HIV co-infection.India continues to have the highest TB burden in the world. TB is the leading cause of...
Land-mafia in Kanpur in connivance with officials of Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) have slapped false fabricated charges against an Right-to-Information (RTI) campaign leader - Roby Sharma.Roby has been spearheading the RTI campaign in Kanpur since past two years now, exposing corruption and championing people's causes across the city.Roby had filed a RTI application seeking the information from the KDA and Fire Department officials on how many multi-storey buildings are following the fire-safety norms setup by them, and how many of these buildings have obtained a no-objection certificate from the fire department.Roby had further asked under the RTI Act that under which government...
A human rights activist was arrested in Manipur for discussing a state government's decision in a public forum. Sapam Kangleipal Meitei, 27 years, was discussing the impact of arming the civilians with weapons on the conditions prevalent in Manipur state. The state government had decided to give 500 gun licenses to natives of two villages in Manipur state. State government decided to hand over 500 gun licenses to civilians because armed cadres of People Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), an armed opposition group in Manipur, had reportedly shot-dead two girls and a boy while seriously injuring the eyes of another girl on 24 March 2008. So the civilians of these villages were...
Add new comment