NGO Challenges Deferment of Pictorial Warnings on Cigarettes

Health for Millions (HFM) Trust has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Indian government for postponing the implementation of pictorial warnings on tobacco products.A statement released by the trust said that the petition seeks that "the government of India implement the notification dated May 17, 2010 immediately by ensuring that the tobacco products sold in the markets after December 1, 2010 have the new pictorial warnings affixed on them as described by the notification." A trust official said that the government was supposed to start rolling out pictorial warnings on tobacco products saying "Tobacco causes cancer." This was due to start this year on June 1, but the government postponed it to December 1, 2010 and subsequently chose to defer it by a year. The HFM trust feels the government is favoring the tobacco industry and hence has filed a petition seeking immediate commencement of the warnings. 

Source-Medindia