Face of Nation : Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday announced that the Cabinet had approved the ban on e-cigarettes. “It means the production, manufacturing, import and export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertising related to e-cigarettes are banned,” she added.
The government will immediately pass an ordinance, and the matter will be taken up in the next Parliament session, the minister said. “E-cigarettes were meant to be a way of weaning away from smoking cigarettes,” Sitharaman added.
“Data from the US show many high school and middle-school students are taking to e-cigarettes. In India, e-cigarettes are being seen as a cool style statement.” Sitharaman talked of studies in other countries that showed the long-term impact on the health of people who use e-cigarettes.
