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A parliamentary panel in India reviewing whether to put larger health warnings on cigarette packets has asked the health ministry for evidence to show that such a move would cut tobacco consumption, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.
The panel, which has been criticised before by tobacco control activists for apparent conflict of interest as one of its members owns a tobacco business, sent a list of 32 questions to the health ministry in October.
It asked the ministry to explain which ingredients in tobacco cause cancer and whether previous government surveys showed that graphic warnings led to a drop in tobacco usage, which is linked to as many as 900,000 deaths a year in India, the world’s second-largest tobacco producer.
Panel chairman Dilip Gandhi denied the panel had been influenced by the tobacco industry, and said it expects to have a report on its findings within 45 days. He declined to comment on the list of questions sent to the health ministry.
Shyama Charan Gupta, a panel member who runs a company that makes traditional hand-rolled “beedi” cigarettes, said he has recused himself from the issue of tobacco warnings. He remains on the panel, which scrutinises several other regulations.
The Tobacco Institute of India (TII)—which represents hundreds of local manufacturers in India’s $6 billion cigarette market as well as bigger firms such as ITC Ltd, part-owned by British American Tobacco Plc—said it held talks with the parliamentary panel in July.
MPs, health officials spar over tobacco pack warnings - Livemint
The panel, which has been criticised before by tobacco control activists for apparent conflict of interest as one of its members owns a tobacco business, sent a list of 32 questions to the health ministry in October.
It asked the ministry to explain which ingredients in tobacco cause cancer and whether previous government surveys showed that graphic warnings led to a drop in tobacco usage, which is linked to as many as 900,000 deaths a year in India, the world’s second-largest tobacco producer.
Panel chairman Dilip Gandhi denied the panel had been influenced by the tobacco industry, and said it expects to have a report on its findings within 45 days. He declined to comment on the list of questions sent to the health ministry.
Shyama Charan Gupta, a panel member who runs a company that makes traditional hand-rolled “beedi” cigarettes, said he has recused himself from the issue of tobacco warnings. He remains on the panel, which scrutinises several other regulations.
The Tobacco Institute of India (TII)—which represents hundreds of local manufacturers in India’s $6 billion cigarette market as well as bigger firms such as ITC Ltd, part-owned by British American Tobacco Plc—said it held talks with the parliamentary panel in July.
MPs, health officials spar over tobacco pack warnings - Livemint
