Govt sets up Committee to monitor smoking ban violations in cinema

New Delhi, Nov 6 (UNI) The Government has constituted a Steering Committee to monitor and take action violations of the act which bans depiction of smoking scenes in cinema and on television.

The 17-member committee, being headed by the Health and Family Welfare Secretary, would monitor any violation of the section 5 of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

The Joint Secretary in the Ministry will be the Convener of the Committee which also also include Joint Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, his counterparts in the Ministry of Law and Justice and Department of Consumer Affairs.

Member of Parliament Sachin Pilot, the Director General of Directorate of Audio Visual Publicity, the Director General of the Press Information Bureau, representatives of Advertising Standards Council of India and the Press Council of India have also been nominated the members of the Committee.

Ms Shobha John of the Path Canada, Mumbai, Ms Monica Arora of HRIDAY, New Delhi, Mr R Arul of Pasumai Thaayagam, Chennai, Mr Hemant Goswami of the Burning Brain Society, Chandigarh, Dr N Chidambaram of the Professor of Medicine Rajah Muttiah Medical College Hospital, Annamalai University, Dr P C Gupta of the Healis-Sekhsarai Institute of Public Health, Navi Mumbai and Mr D P Poddar of the Voluntary Health Association of India are the other members of the Committee.

Despite stiff resistance from artists fraternity and Information and Broadcasting Ministry, the Health Ministry has been insisting on banning the ban of depiction of smoking in cinema. Now the Committee has been set up to ensure that the ban was effectively implemented.

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