A fine of Rs 1000 will be imposed on being caught smoking cigarettes in public places in Jharkhand. President Droupadi Murmu has given her 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, according to an official statement issued by the Jharkhand Raj Bhavan Secretariat.
The amendment bill was passed by the then Hemant Soren government in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly four years ago. The fine for smoking cigarettes in a public place in the state has a fivefold rise and has been increased from Rs 200 to Rs 1000.
During discussions in the Assembly, then AJSU MLA Lambodar Mahato had proposed an amendment seeking to raise the fine even further to Rs 10,000. On the amendment bill, the then Health Minister had said that a fine would also be imposed for spitting in a public place. He also said that selling tobacco to consumers below the age of 21 years would be a punishable offence.
During the legislative debate, the then Health Minister highlighted additional punitive measures, including fines for spitting in public and the criminalisation of tobacco sales to individuals under 21 years of age.
It is also worth noting that just a month before the Assembly passed the Bill, the Jharkhand Cabinet had approved a proposal to ban hookah bars across the state.
The Cabinet had clarified that violations of the ban could lead to imprisonment or fines up to Rs 1 lakh.
With presidential approval now secured, Jharkhand joins a growing number of Indian states ramping up tobacco control initiatives through stiffer penalties and tighter enforcement. The health department is expected to issue detailed implementation guidelines in the coming days.
Smoking in public places does not only affect the smoker negatively. It also violates a non-smokers’ right to live a healthy lifestyle. People who do not smoke, but are exposed to secondhand smoke (it’s the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers) experience an increase in their risk of developing heart disease.
Adults exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have newborns with lower birth weight, increasing the risk of health complications. Infants exposed to secondhand smoke after birth have significantly higher risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Therefore smoking should be banned in all public places.