In India, e-cigarettes are strictly banned, however nonetheless, some web sites are promoting them. And due to this, the federal government has been pressured to take strict motion in opposition to them. Now, the Union Well being Ministry has issued takedown notices to 15 such e-cigarette-selling web sites. They’ve been ordered to cease promoting and promoting their merchandise instantly.
Six extra web sites are looking out listing, in keeping with PTI. As well as, the ministry is carefully monitoring the promoting and gross sales of e-cigarettes. Social media And may additionally difficulty notices in opposition to them in close to future.
“If they don’t reply and don’t adjust to the legislation, the Ministry of Well being will write to the Ministry Electronics and data know-how to take away this web site. Authorized motion may also be taken in opposition to these web sites accordingly,” PTI quoted a supply as saying.
The sale of e-cigarettes was banned beneath the Digital Cigarettes (Manufacture, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Commercial) Act, which got here into impact in 2019.
The Ministry of Well being talked about that they’ve recognized info associated to on-line ads and gross sales of unlawful e-cigarettes. This sale is prohibited beneath Part four of the Digital Cigarette Prohibition Act.
It additionally added, “Within the gentle of above, and beneath Article 79(3)(b). Info Expertise Act, 2000 (IT Act), and in pursuance of Authorities Notification dated November 15, 2021, the undersigned is allowed to direct you to disable entry or take away any info recognized within the enclosed doc with out disturbing the proof in any approach”.
After the discover, on-line web sites got a deadline of 36 hours to submit their response. Based on an official supply, solely 4 of the 15 on-line web sites have responded and stopped their operations. The ministry continues to be ready for the responses from the remaining web sites. In the event that they fail to reply throughout the given timeframe, they might face severe expenses beneath the IT Act or the Prohibition of Digital Cigarettes Act.
Chief Secretaries, Union Well being Secretary Rajesh Bhushan stated that e-cigarettes are being made simply accessible and accessible to college students. In response, the ministry issued a public discover in Might directing all producers, producers, importers, exporters, distributors, advertisers and transporters, together with couriers, social media web sites and on-line purchasing web sites, to fabricate, procure or promote e-cigarettes. was straight or not directly.
