By IANS
New Delhi : India is framing stricter laws that will put a stop to smoking in public places, especially at work places.
Informing the Lok Sabha Wednesday, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Panabaka Lakshmi said smoking in a public place is already prohibited under section 4 of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.
She said the definition of a public place covers offices, libraries, restaurants, educational institutions, court building and railways waiting rooms.
But she added that the government is in the process of framing legal provisions to further improve its implementation and ensure that there is no smoking in public places, including work places.
According to a recent study, conducted by experts from India, Canada and Britain, smoking would kill nearly one million people every year in the next decade.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) supported the report, which said that nearly 70 percent of these one million deaths would be in the age group of 30-69.