Even as three lakh persons have been challaned for selling tobacco products near educational institutes in the past two years since 2012, the Government on Friday said more than 5,000 children and adolescents start using tobacco daily according to various studies in the country.
"As per independent studies conducted in India, 5,500 children and adolescents start using tobacco daily," Union Health Minister JP Nadda informed the lok Sabha.
Nadda, in a written reply to a question on sale of tobacco products near educational institutions in lok Sabha, said that 3,13,079 persons have been "challaned" in different States from April 2012 to December 2014 and an amount of Rs3,31,79,447 has been collected.
He said that 1,48,708 people were challaned in Karnataka, 71,705 in Andhra Pradesh, 39,914 in Tamil Nadu, 15,741 in Rajasthan and 9,885 in Delhi.
Nadda said the CBSE has issued an advisory last year to all affiliated schools against allowing students to participate in the events sponsored by any firm or a subsidiary of a firm which promotes the use of tobacco in any form.
According to Tobacco Control Foundation of India, around five million children in India are addicted to tobacco mainly because of easy availability of tobacco products and the lax enforcement of laws preventing its consumption.