Government
is aware of the study conducted by the World Health Organisation.
In order to
protect the youth from
unnecessary exposure to tobacco usage through films and TV programmes and in order to
regulate the depiction of the tobacco products or their use in films and
television programmes the Government of India notified the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and
Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) [amendment]
rules in 2005, however these rules could not be implemented due to litigation.
In 2011 after due deliberation and inter-ministerial consultations the Government amended
the original Rules and notified the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation
of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) [2nd amendment] rules 2011 vide G.S.R 786 dated 27th October,2011. These
Rules have further been amended and notified vide G.S.R. 708(E) dated 21st
September, 2012 and
have come into force from 2nd October, 2012.
The
salient features of the amended Rules vide G.S.R. 708(E)
dated 21st September, 2012 are as follows:
1. Old Films and
Television Programmes, displaying Tobacco Products or
their use:
i.
The theatre owner or the
broadcaster has to show anti-tobacco health spots of minimum 30 seconds
duration each at the beginning and middle of the film or television programmes, displaying tobacco products or their use.
ii.
The Broadcaster of Old
Television Programmes has to show anti-tobacco health warning as a prominent static message at the
bottom of the television screen during the period of display of the tobacco
products or their use in the television programmes as
per the specification given in the Rules.
2. New Films and Television Programmes,
displaying Tobacco Products or there use shall have :
(i)
a strong editorial justification explaining the necessity of display
of tobacco products or their use in the film to CBFC.
(ii)
anti-tobacco health spots of
minimum thirty seconds duration each at the beginning and middle of the film or
the television programme;
(iii)
anti-tobacco health warning as
a prominent static message at the bottom of the screen during the period of
display of the tobacco products or their use in the film and television programme;
(iv) an
audio-visual disclaimer on the ill-effects of tobacco use, of minimum twenty
seconds duration each, in the beginning and middle of the film and television programme.
These Rules have been framed in
consultation with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and all the
various stakeholders.
Further, in
order to facilitate the implementation, health spots and’ disclaimers, as
mandated in the Rules, have been developed by Ministry of Health, and made
available to CBFC for insertion in Films and, to the Indian Broadcasting
Federation for insertion in television programmes.
This information was given by Minister for Health &
Family Welfare Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.
BN/HB/AS