Smoking in the open and spitting tobacco has become expensive, President approves the bill

Ranchi (The Uttam Hindu) :  Smoking and spitting tobacco in public places in Jharkhand will now cost five times more. Those caught doing this will be fined Rs 1,000. Earlier, the fine for such acts was fixed at Rs 200. A bill regarding the new rules was passed in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly in the year 2021 itself, but it has now received the President's approval. The media cell of Jharkhand Raj Bhavan has informed in a notice released on Wednesday that the President of India Draupadi Murmu has given assent to the "Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (Jharkhand Amendment) Bill, 2021" passed in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.

This amendment bill was sent to the President for approval through the Governor. After the bill is notified as a law, no teenager under the age of 21 years will be able to sell or buy any tobacco product in the state. The sale and purchase of cigarettes and other tobacco products will not be allowed within a radius of a hundred meters of educational institutions, hospitals, health institutions, public offices and courts. Apart from this, there will also be a ban on selling cigarettes by opening the box. It is noteworthy that the amendment bill related to this was passed by the Jharkhand government in the budget session of the Legislative Assembly in March 2021. This bill was introduced by the then Health Minister Banna Gupta. During the discussion on this bill, AJSU Party MLA Lambodar had proposed to increase the fine amount to Rs 10,000, but it was rejected. The Jharkhand cabinet has previously approved a proposal to ban hookah bars in the state. Violators of this rule can face a jail sentence or a fine of Rs 1 lakh.