From January 1, 2006, it may be no longer be possible for anyone to make use of cigarettes and other tobacco products on screen or in TV programmes.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is planning to put in place a stringent notification for fixing new norms for tobacco packaging and labeling.

This would caution the youth against the ill effects of nicotine and tar contents etc through pictorial and bold warnings in place of the innocuous messages displayed now.

Along with in-your-face warnings, the percentage of harmful contents like nicotine and tar would also need to be displayed, said Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss.

The minister said a WHO study had found that medical expenditure on tobacco-linked health problems alone accounted for over Rs 30,833 crore and as much as 76 per cent of Indian films influenced the youth to take to smoking.

According to the WHO, by 2020 up to 70 per cent of deaths due to tobacco use would be in the low-income and middle-income groups, especially in countries like India and China.

Pointing out that India is a signatory to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control initiated by the WHO, Ramadoss said the government was determined to implement tobacco-control strategies through legislative means and increased public awareness.

It was against this backdrop that the Anti-Tobacco Act was enacted, which banned smoking in public places, advertisements for tobacco products, sale of tobacco products to minors and near educational institutions, in addition to printing of nicotine and tar contents on packs.