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Maharashtra to be the first state to ban the selling of loose cigarettes and beedi’s

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Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has banned the sale of loose cigarettes and beedis, making it the first Indian state to do so. The move is meant for ensuring that customers see the graphic, public health warnings mandated on cigarette packaging. But according to some smokers, the government has taken this decision as they can generate more revenue in the form of tax from cigarette selling.

As per a notification issued by the state public health department on September 24, the state has imposed complete ban on selling of single stick loose cigarettes and beedis.

The decision is taken accordingly with sub-section (2) of section 7 of Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce Production, Supply & Distribution) Act, 2003, the order, signed by principal secretary (health) Dr Pradeep Vyas, said.

Studies have shown that a 10 percent rise in taxes results in an 8 percent drop in the number of smokers. But if people are allowed to buy a single cigarette, they do not feel the effect of higher taxes. Therefore this decision will get down the number of smokers.

Vivek Bhavsar
Vivek Bhavsar
Vivek Bhavsar is the Editor-in-Chief. He is a senior journalist with more than 30 years of experience in political and investigative journalism. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheNews21. He has worked with leading English mainline dailies, including The Asian Age and Free Press Journal, and also carries the experience of strides in leading regional newspapers like Lokmat and Saamana. During his stints at reputed vernacular and English-language dailies, he has demonstrated his versatility in covering the gamut of beats from policy-making to urban ecology.  While reporting extensively on socio-political issues across Maharashtra, he found his métier in political journalism as an expert on government policy-making. He made his mark as an investigative journalist with exposes of government corruption and deft analyses of the decisions made in Mantralaya, as exemplified in his series of reports on the multi-crore petrochemical project at Nanar in the state’s Konkan region, which ultimately compelled the government to scrap the enterprise.

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