Government caves in to pressure on pictorial warnings from bidi makers lobby

14 January 2009

The government has buckled under pressure exerted by the bidi industry regarding pictorial warnings on tobacco products prescribed under the Control of Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), the centre has admitted.

In its reply to a query filed under the Right to Information Act the centre admitted that due to the pressure exerted by the bidi industry and other interested parties, the group of ministers (GoM) constituted to look into the matter had recommended that the graphic pictorial warnings to be displayed on the tobacco products be watered down from stronger evidence-based to weaker warnings.

Pictorial warnings on tobacco products are intended to increase consumer knowledge of the deadly health effects of tobacco consumption, to encourage cessation and to discourage uptake.

In India they also break the linguistic and cultural barrier, in addition to informing the illiterate population (a large proportion of this segment smokes bidis) about the harmful effects of tobacco use.

The GoM, constituted to look into the issue, decided on 24 November 2008 to defer the implementation of pictorial warning from 30 November to 31 May 2009.
With this, the GoM conveniently deferred the decision in favour of the tobacco companies till the upcoming parliamentary elections are over.

A case is currently underway in the Supreme Court regarding pictorial warnings on tobacco products as well as on packaging and labelling rules. The petitioner, 'Health for Millions' has prayed the court to direct the government to instruct tobacco manufacturing and packaging companies to display pictorial warnings on tobacco products.