Himachal bans gutkha, paan masala

The Himachal Pradesh government Friday imposed a ban on the manufacture, storage and sale of ‘gutkha’, ‘paan masala’ and their variants containing tobacco and nicotine in the state with immediate effect.

“Storage, sale or distribution of gutkha, paan masala, ‘masheri’ and ‘khaini’ is illegal and such products, if stored, or being manufactured or sold in the state, the persons doing so will be proceeded against as per provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006,” a government spokesperson told IANS.

He said no licence would be issued by the government to do business of tobacco-based products, which were responsible for oral diseases such as cancer.

Himachal Pradesh has joined a handful of states, among them Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, to impose total ban on gutkha.