SATURDAY, Mar 22, (News Locale) - Continuing his offensive against cigarettes and tobacco, the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss confirmed that all tobacco products will be carrying statutory warnings including pictures on their packs by June 24. 

The Union health ministry has now made it compulsory that cigarette and beedi packets show pictorial warnings, either an X-ray plate of a cancer infected chest or images of infected human lungs, in order to pose a deterrent for smokers to give up the habit. Chewing tobacco packets will also have to carry the image of a scorpion in order to depict the dangers of cancer.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new trauma center at the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Delhi, Ramadoss said that the notification for pictorial warnings will come into effect by June 24, adding that at least 40 percent of the space available on the packets must be covered with such warnings.

The health minister also added that he will be proposing an amendment to the Tobacco Prevention and Control Act that will see smokers puffing in public places shell out a fine of Rs 1,000, up from the current fine of Rs 200.

If passed, the amendment will also put more responsibility on building owners and institutions to curb smoking on the premises, with the failure to do so resulting in fines of over Rs 5,000 for each smoker.

Though the health ministry is expected to take further flak for the new proposals, Ramadoss citied the latest figures released by the India Global Youth Tobacco Survey, pointing out that passive smoking in public places has been reduced drastically from 49 percent to 40 percent between 2003 to 2006.

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