New proposals like booking of retailers selling loose cigarettes and 7 years of imprisonment, are unacceptable, traders argued.
After a prolonged delay, government will soon notify new pictorial warnings on tobacco products, which will be "harsher" in case of chewing tobacco as it has been found more harmful than smoking.
The UK Home Office has announced a crackdown on illegal working across the country, targeting restaurants, nail bars, convenience stores, and car washes. In January, Immigration Enforcement teams conducted record-breaking raids, arresting 609 individuals, a 73% increase from the previous year. The crackdown comes as the government introduces new legislation aimed at tackling criminal gangs that facilitate illegal immigration. The Home Office highlights the dangers of illegal migration and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals while emphasizing its commitment to safeguarding workers and removing foreign criminals.
With the total tax burden currently at 53 per cent, 19.5 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively for cigarettes, bidis and smokeless, tobacco taxation in India is much lower than the level recommended by the World Health Organisation.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice D B Bhosle and Justice Yashwant Varma passed the order on a public interest litigation filed by Prakash Kharwadkar, who contended that the logo of 'Shudh Plus', one of the sponsors of the tournament, is displayed on jerseys of the Gujarat Lions team which was against the law.
Most of the changes have come about in the last four years and ITC is now reaping the dividends - standalone revenues from the non-cigarettes FMCG business have grown 40 per cent from FY17 to Rs 14,728.21 crore in FY21 and pre-tax profits 30 times to Rs 823.69 crore. The business accounted for 30.58 per cent of gross revenues and 4.85 per cent of pre-tax profits in FY21. "In the last four years, our margins in FMCG have gone up by 640 basis points (bps) and EBITDA margins have been moving up consistently. "We created levers that enabled a sustained growth trajectory," said ITC chairman and managing director Sanjiv Puri. Puri took charge as the chief executive officer in 2017; in 2018, he was redesignated managing director and effective May 2019, he became chairman.
The tobacco business was increasingly coming under prohibition by various regulations.
Dr Ashish Mishra, consultant interventional cardiologist, Wockhardt Hospitals, explains how smoking and alcohol can impair your heart health and lead to cardiac arrest.
The sale, consumption, manufacturing, trading, storage and advertisement of all forms of smokeless tobacco including pan masala have been banned in Assam through enactment of a legislation that has come into effect from Thursday.
Global tobacco majors Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International on Friday deplored as "discriminatory," the Indian government's decision to ban foreign investment in cigarettes.
Consumption of tobacco is rising by 3.4 per cent per year in the developing world.
Dr Nandita Palshetkar, IVF expert and medical director, Bloom IVF, explains how certain behaviour can lead to poor quality of sperm.
The GST Council, in its meeting on Saturday, is likely to decide on reducing tax rates on life and health insurance premiums, while hiking it on high-end wrist watches, shoes and apparels, besides considering a separate 35 per cent tax slab for sin goods. The 55th meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising state counterparts, is likely to discuss rate rejig in about 148 items, besides, it will also deliberate on bringing Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), a major component for airline industry's operation cost, in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) fold.
Fearing large-scale excise duty evasion by pan masala and chewing tobacco units, the finance ministry has issued strict warning to the sector and told them to give details of the packing machines at their units.
The actor fibs that he does not smoke, while telling others to quit.
Considering that tobacco advertising generates a lot of revenue and jobs, should the government impose such a ban?
The move to expand the health insurance scheme's coverage comes at a time when several hospitals have complained of delays in reimbursement related to the procedures performed under the scheme.
The Union Health Ministry has admitted that the present pictorial warnings on tobacco products have not been effective as people did not understand their message of caution.
Andhra Pradesh's tobacco farmers are now nursing global dreams.
The companies said there was no clarity on types of warnings to be carried on the packages. ITC, the maker of India Kings, Gold Flake and Navy Cut, stopped production at all the five units located across India from yesterday. It has manufacturing facilities in Bangalore, Munger, Saharanpur and Kolkata.
The world's third largest tobacco company by sales volume, Japan Tobacco Inc, has invested $65 million (Rs 293 crore) in its Indian unit without increasing its shareholding, just days ahead of a government decision to ban foreign direct investment in cigarette manufacturing.
India demonstrated leadership on behalf of countries in South-East Asian Region to integrate agricultural diversification and alternative crops to tobacco in the comprehensive tobacco control as FCTC proposes.
The minister alleged that 76 % of all movies made in a year depict smoking scenes.
The rules make India's health warnings on tobacco products the world's most stringent, along with Thailand
The law bans fruit and spice-flavoured cigarettes, slaps expansive new warnings on packages and gets rid of the monikers 'light' and 'low-tar'.
Close to 2 million kg of tobacco has already been auctioned, which started from September 2 in Karnataka. The tobacco auction in the country is mainly undertaken in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Up to 900,000 Indians die every year of tobacco-related diseases
The actor has been found smoking in public despite many warnings from the anti-tobacco organisation.
The number of deaths in Pakistan due to tobacco consumption is much higher than those caused by suicide attacks, terrorism, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other fatal diseases in the country.
Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has lost the battle to make depiction of skull and cross-bones on all tobacco products mandatory with Cabinet on Friday declaring it would be optional.
'I eagerly await the day when we can experience a truly great Bollywood movie rooted in pure historical facts, one that authentically showcases the essence of our armed forces for Indian audiences,' notes Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
Foreign cigarette companies could soon find it harder to sell their products in India. The government is looking into a proposal to ban foreign direct investment (FDI) in the wholesale marketing arms of these companies. It is also exploring the possibility of shifting the import of tobacco products from the open general licence (OGL) to the restricted list.
'Sin tax' is a globally prevalent practice under which products like alcohol and tobacco attract higher rates of tax.
A parliamentary panel termed the government's proposed 85 per cent pictorial warnings on tobacco products as "too harsh" and recommended a drastic reduction in size.
Tobacco products touched an all-time high of 162,000 tonne worth Rs 1,362 crore 13.62 this year, according to Narendranath, president, Indian Tobacco Association.
'We have been fighting to treat political prisoners differently.' 'Except for Hyderabad and Kolkata, the concept of keeping political prisoners separate doesn't exist in India.'
