State bans flavoured supari, pan masala on Gandhi Jayanti
GOVT MOVE Health minister announces the ban during an event celebrating 150th birth anniv of Mahatma Gandhi
JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government on Wednesday banned pan masala and flavoured supari in t he s t a t e , ac c o r di ng t o a n announcement by health minister Raghu Sharma.
The mi n i s t e r made t h e announcement during one of the several events held in Jaipur to mark 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
“We have banned storage, distribution and sale of Pan masala containing magnesium carbonate, nicotine, tobacco and mineral oil, and flavoured supari under Food Security Act, 2006,” Sharma said.
All food inspectors have been asked to ensure compliance of the ban, the minister added.
The Congress party promised in its manifesto “effective steps to check addiction among the youth”. The Ashok Gehlot government mentioned in its first budget that it will form a policy to control sale of substandard material and be strict on sale of stolen material for a complete ban on pan masala and gutkha.
Earlier, the government has banned e-cigarettes.
Vaagdhara, a nonprofit organization working towards tobacco-free state, welcomed the ban. “The government had moved one step closer to making Rajasthan the first tobacco-free state in the country. I thank the chief minister for paying a real tribute to the Mahatma on his 150th Anniversary by prevented millions of young people from falling into the trap of tobacco addiction,” said Vaagdhara secretary Jayesh Joshi.
The organization has been demanding categorization and licensing of vendors selling pan masala and other tobacco products to prevent the young from getting addicted to such products. “It has been observed that those who start consuming pan masala as a mouth freshner start using tobacco (chewing tobacco more commonly known as guthkha) and thus the initiation of tobacco product happens, Joshi added.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), total tobacco uses in Rajasthan at the age of 15+ is 24.7% and the average age of initiation is 18.4 years. “Vaagdhara is working towards reducing the use of tobacco and pan masala through robust licensing mechanism for vendors,” said a release from the organization.
Earlier, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ordered food product categorization of pan masala, mouth freshner and mukhwas etc. in food licensing and registration system (FLRS).
The non-profit has also been advocating for robust and comprehensive licensing mechanism through rules and guidelines for tobacco vendors selling pan masala and tobacco products. “This will general revenue for the government and reduce the number of sellers and users,” Joshi said.
An officer of the food and safety department in medical and health department said the government was yet to deliberate upon the implementation of the ban.