PANAJI: The state government has banned manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of gutkha and pan masala in any form for the period of one year.
In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (2) of Section 30 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (34 of 2006) read with regulation of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, the commissioner of food safety, B R Singh on Thursday issued a notification prohibiting the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of gutkha or pan masalas, which contains tobacco and nicotine as an ingredient and chewing of tobacco products.
The ban will be applied “for products like chaap tobacco, pure tobacco, khaini, kharra, chaini, scented tobacco, flavoured tobacco, zarda, etc packed in packets, pouches, sachets, containers etc by whatever name it is called and in whatever shape it is packed, and other products marketed separately having tobacco or nicotine in the final products, by whatever names they are called, whether packed or unpacked and sold as one product or through packed as separate products, sold or distributed in such a manner so as to easily facilitate their mixing by the consumer,” the notification said.
The ban will come in force from the date of publication of this notification in the official gazette.
