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The Union Health Ministry has written to the Delhi Government to indicate the action taken against the manufacturer/advertiser for violation of Section 22 of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. In its letter addressed to the Health Secretary of the Delhi Government, the Ministry has pointed out that banners and hoardings put up on high rise buildings and other places show photographs of racing cars and persons wearing jackets/T-shirts with the logo of ‘Marlboro’, a multi-national cigarette brand. The letter says that such advertisement of the brand is a violation of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003.
This is the third in a series of actions initiated by the Centre in the last few days for alleged violation of this Act. It may be recalled that last week the Ministry had issued a Show Cause Notice to the Managing Editor of the ‘Stardust’ magazine and also written to the Maharashtra Government to initiate action for violation of the same provisions of the Act. The Ministry had also written to the General Manager, Marketing of M/s ITC Ltd., Kolkata asking why action should not be initiated against them for violating the provisions of sub-section 5 of Section 22 of the Act. M/s. ITC had launched a range of greeting cards under the brand name ‘Gold Flake Expressions’ which has the same logo, design and colour as the popular cigarette brand ‘Gold Flake’. As all the greeting cards have the logo printed both on the cards as well as on its cover, it amounts to indirect advertisement of the cigarette brand which is a violation of the above mentioned Act, the notice said. Further, M/s. ITC have been requested to withdraw the said range of greeting cards with the logo printed on it from the market.
The Ministry has also written to M/s. Philip Morris Services for the advertisement in the ‘Stardust’ magazine as also photographs published in the magazine ‘Overdrive’ where persons are shown wearing jackets/T-shirts with the logo of ‘Marlboro’.
The Centre had brought into effect several provisions of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 from 1st May, 2004. The main provisions of the Act provide for prohibition of smoking in public places, prohibition of advertisement/sponsorship and prohibition of tobacco products, prohibition of sale of tobacco to minors and also near educational institutions.
EK/MK.
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