Committee to look at Gutkha bans

India’s Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, has promised to establish a committee to examine the concerns expressed by members of the Smokeless Tobacco Association about the gutkha prohibitions introduced in 14 states, according to a Samay story relayed by the TMA.

Members of the association say the bans, introduced under the Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act 2011, have negatively affected the livelihoods of 40 million people working in the tobacco sector.

And they have characterized the bans as discriminatory since they do not include cigarettes and bidis.

In fact, the association believes that gutkha cannot be banned under the Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act 2011 since it has been classified as a tobacco product under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003.