If the Union health ministry has its way soon the violations under cigarettes and other tobacco products will also figure in the monthly crime report of the station house officer (SHO) as other crimes like theft, daicoty, murder, rape etc.
In a bid to discourage consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products, the Union health ministry has written to the states to incorporate violations under the Cigarettes And Other Tobacco Products Act as part of the monthly crime review of the SHO’s at the district level.
The health ministry has asked the state home secretaries, chief secretaries and the DGPs to get the data collated and send it to them on monthly basis. After this, health ministry officials gains significance as it has helped many states in getting the act implemented in a better way.
“Our experience in implementation of the act is that the implementation is best done when the system/mechanism is institutionalised. A few states have been able to do it by putting the violations of the act as one of the agenda points in the monthly crime review of the SHO. This will not only ensure institutionalisation of the implementation of the implementation system but the state information could also be generated and reported back to us,” said the health ministry’s letter.
A person is said to be violating the act if he/she is found to be smoking in a public places. According to the provisions of the Act there is a prohibition in all forms of advertisement and sponsorship of tobacco products, prohibition on sale of tobacco products to minors and within the radius of 100 yards of educational institutions and mandatory depiction of specified health warnings on all tobacco products.
For ensuring implementation of the act any police officer not below the rank of sub-inspector has also been notified to take action against violations of these provisions. A senior official said so far places like Chandigarh, Shimla, Sikkim, Koyttayam, Delhi, have declared themselves smoke-free.