In India, e-cigarettes are strictly prohibited, besides, some web sites have been promoting them. And that has compelled the federal government to launch a crackdown towards them. Now, the Union Well being Ministry has issued takedown notices to fifteen such e-cigarette-selling web sites. They’ve been ordered to instantly cease the sale and commercial of their merchandise.
In keeping with PTI, six extra web sites are looking out listing. As well as, the ministry is intently monitoring the commercials and sale of e-cigarettes on social media and will concern notices within the close to future towards them too.
“If they do not reply and adjust to the legislation, the well being ministry will write to the Ministry of Electronics and Info Know-how for taking down these web sites. Authorized motion may even be taken towards these web sites accordingly,” PTI quoted a supply as saying.
The sale of e-cigarettes was stopped below the Prohibition of Digital Cigarettes (Manufacturing, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Commercial) Act which got here into pressure in 2019.
The well being ministry talked about that they’ve recognized data regarding on-line commercials and the sale of unlawful e-cigarettes. This sale is illegitimate below part 4 of the Prohibition of Digital Cigarettes Act.
It additionally added that, “In mild of the above, and below part 79(3)(b) of the Info Know-how Act, 2000 (IT Act), and in pursuance of the federal government notification dated November 15, 2021, the undersigned is hereby authorised to direct you to disable entry and or take away any data recognized within the enclosed doc with out vitiating the proof in any method”.
Following the discover, the net web sites got a deadline of 36 hours to submit their response. In keeping with an official supply, solely 4 out of the 15 on-line web sites have responded and ceased their operations. The ministry remains to be ready for responses from the remaining web sites. In the event that they fail to reply inside the given time-frame, they could should face severe costs below the IT Act or Prohibition of Digital Cigarettes Act.
Chief secretaries, Union Well being Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, stated that e-cigarettes are being made simply obtainable and accessible to college students. In response, the ministry issued a public discover in Might directing all producers, producers, importers, exporters, distributors, advertisers, and transporters, together with couriers, social media web sites, and on-line purchasing web sites, to supply, acquire, or promote e-cigarettes straight or not directly.
