Ban On Loose Cigarette

The Supreme Court on Friday junked a plea seeking a direction to increase the smoking age from 18 to 21, and ban the sale of loose cigarettes.

Tobacco major ITC came under sharp selling pressure on Thursday, and languished at the bottom of the 50-share Nifty with over 2 per cent cut.

Sale of loose cigarettes across Uttar Pradesh has been banned and deemed a penal offence with immediate effect, officials said in Lucknow on Wednesday.

Cigarette smoking and consumption of other tobacco products will become costlier in Uttar Pradesh as the state government today decided to hike Value Added Tax (VAT) on them besides banning sale of loose cigarettes in the market.

In ITC's sales pie, Maharashtra contributes 9 per cent

Tobacco companies such as ITC and Godfrey Philips India fell sharply on Wednesday as the government moved to amend the anti-smoking law, which proposes radical changes such as banning sale of loose cigarettes and raising the minimum age of a person buying tobacco products to 21 years from existing 18.

Brushing aside opposition, the government today moved to amend the anti-smoking law and proposed radical changes, including ban on sale of loose cigarettes and raising the minimum age of a person buying tobacco products to 21 years from existing 18.

A former Customs Commissioner from Mumbai, who lost speech and a part of his tongue due to throat cancer after prolong tobacco use, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking ban loose on cigarettes, amid reports that the Centre's proposed move is likely to be put on hold.

The proposal of banning the sale of loose cigarettes has been put on hold by the government, say sources.

Cigarette makers rebounded on Wednesday with ITC gaining over 2.5 per cent to top the 50-share Nifty index in morning trade. Shares in India's largest cigarette maker had fallen 5 per cent yesterday after the government accepted tough tobacoo measures such as banning the sale of unpackaged cigarettes.

The government moved a step closer to banning the sale of unpackaged cigarettes, with a view to discourage smoking in a country where close to a million people each year die of tobacco-related diseases.

Shares of tobacco companies fell sharply on Tuesday after the government accepted the recommendations of an expert panel, which has proposed banning the sale of loose cigarettes among other tough measures. These recommendations will now be put before the Cabinet and will also require a Parliament nod before they are implemented.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is taking several steps to curb India's tobacco consumption. It has increased taxes on tobacco products and ordered companies to print more health warnings on packages.

ITC shares fell nearly 2 per cent on Wednesday pulling down the broader Sensex and Nifty. According to media reports, an expert government panel has proposed a ban on sale of loose cigarettes, which account for 70-75 per cent of industry volumes in the country. Ban on loose cigarettes can dent ITC's volumes by 8-10 per cent, analysts say.

The Supreme Court on Friday junked a plea seeking a direction to increase the smoking age from 18 to 21, and ban the sale of loose cigarettes.

Tobacco major ITC came under sharp selling pressure on Thursday, and languished at the bottom of the 50-share Nifty with over 2 per cent cut.

Sale of loose cigarettes across Uttar Pradesh has been banned and deemed a penal offence with immediate effect, officials said in Lucknow on Wednesday.

Cigarette smoking and consumption of other tobacco products will become costlier in Uttar Pradesh as the state government today decided to hike Value Added Tax (VAT) on them besides banning sale of loose cigarettes in the market.

In ITC's sales pie, Maharashtra contributes 9 per cent

Tobacco companies such as ITC and Godfrey Philips India fell sharply on Wednesday as the government moved to amend the anti-smoking law, which proposes radical changes such as banning sale of loose cigarettes and raising the minimum age of a person buying tobacco products to 21 years from existing 18.

Brushing aside opposition, the government today moved to amend the anti-smoking law and proposed radical changes, including ban on sale of loose cigarettes and raising the minimum age of a person buying tobacco products to 21 years from existing 18.

A former Customs Commissioner from Mumbai, who lost speech and a part of his tongue due to throat cancer after prolong tobacco use, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking ban loose on cigarettes, amid reports that the Centre's proposed move is likely to be put on hold.

The proposal of banning the sale of loose cigarettes has been put on hold by the government, say sources.

Cigarette makers rebounded on Wednesday with ITC gaining over 2.5 per cent to top the 50-share Nifty index in morning trade. Shares in India's largest cigarette maker had fallen 5 per cent yesterday after the government accepted tough tobacoo measures such as banning the sale of unpackaged cigarettes.

The government moved a step closer to banning the sale of unpackaged cigarettes, with a view to discourage smoking in a country where close to a million people each year die of tobacco-related diseases.

Shares of tobacco companies fell sharply on Tuesday after the government accepted the recommendations of an expert panel, which has proposed banning the sale of loose cigarettes among other tough measures. These recommendations will now be put before the Cabinet and will also require a Parliament nod before they are implemented.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is taking several steps to curb India's tobacco consumption. It has increased taxes on tobacco products and ordered companies to print more health warnings on packages.

ITC shares fell nearly 2 per cent on Wednesday pulling down the broader Sensex and Nifty. According to media reports, an expert government panel has proposed a ban on sale of loose cigarettes, which account for 70-75 per cent of industry volumes in the country. Ban on loose cigarettes can dent ITC's volumes by 8-10 per cent, analysts say.