(a) whether the Supreme Court has imposed ban on smoking in public places;
(b) if so, whether the Government have taken any steps to implement the orders of the Supreme Court;
(c) if so, the details thereof, alongwith the steps proposed to be taken by the Government against cigarette manufacturers violating the advertising code;
(d) whether the Government have any proposal to enact an Anti-smoking legislation; and
(e) if so, the time by which the final decision is likely to be taken?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (PROF. RITA VERMA)
(a) to (e): Yes Sir, the Supreme Court of India has passed an order on 2.11.2001 directing prohibition of smoking in public places, namely, Auditoriums, Hospital Buildings, Health Institutions, Educational Institutions, Libraries, Court Buildings, Public Office and Public Conveyances, including Railways and issued directions to the Union of India, State Governments as well as the Union Territories to take effective steps to ensure prohibiting smoking in public places. A written communication has been sent from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to Health Secretaries of all States and Union Territories, requesting them to take necessary action to ensure prohibition of smoking in public places and to take necessary effective steps to give wide publicity to the orders of the Supreme Court in electronic and print media so that the general public are aware that smoking is prohibited in public places and as such they should comply with the orders of the Supreme Court. An advertisement is being issued by this Ministry in leading newspapers/electronic media for giving wide publicity to the orders of the Supreme Court.
The Cigarettes (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1975, has provisions, inter-alia, restricting advertisements of cigarettes.
A written communication has been sent from this Ministry to all chief Secretaries of all the States/UTs. to ensure that various provisions of the above mentioned Act are strictly adhere to by all concerned and the law enforcing authorities takes suitable action for strict implementation of the Act.
Also with a view to discourage use of cigarette and other tobacco products, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare introduced a comprehensive Bill, namely, ` The Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products ( Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution ) Bill, 2001 in the Rajya Sabha on 7th March, 2001. This Bill, inter-alia, seeks to prohibit smoking in public places.
The said Bill has been referred to the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development for examination and report.