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Friday, Jan 21, 2005

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National

Centre turns on heat over tobacco advertisement

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN. 20. Continuing its drive against tobacco advertisements, the Union Health Ministry has asked the Maharashtra Government to explain what action it has taken against a film magazine for publishing advertisements of an international cigarette brand.

In identical letters to the Chief Secretary and the Health Secretary of the State Government, the Ministry has asked them to furnish details of the action taken against the magazine.

If no action has been taken so far, the letters instruct them to do so at the earliest. The periodical is published from Mumbai.

The Ministry has already issued a show cause notice to the managing editor of the magazine, to explain why action should not be taken against it for violating the ban on tobacco advertisements, which came into effect from May 1 last year.

Under the legislation, anyone involved in direct or indirect promotion of tobacco products was liable to be punished with a prison sentence of up to two years and a fine of up to Rs. 1,000 in case of first conviction, and sentenced up to five years in prison and fined up to Rs. 5,000 in case of second or subsequent conviction.

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