VZCZCXRO5929
RR RUEHAST RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHTM
DE RUEHNE #2622/01 2751047
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011047Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3635
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RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 2653
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RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 002622 
 
STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/STC, OES/SAT, OES/EGC, AND SCA/INS 
STATE FOR STAS 
STATE PASS TO NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS 
HHS PASS TO NIH 
STATE PASS TO USAID 
STATE FOR SCA, OES (STAS FEDOROFF), OES/PCI STEWART; OES/IHB MURPHY 
PASS TO HHS/OGHA (STEIGER/ABDOO/VALDEZ), CDC (BLOUNT/FARRELL), 
NIH/FIC (GLASS/MAMPILLY/HANDLEY), FDA (LUMPKIN/WELSCH, GENEVA FOR 
HOFMAN) 
PASS TO MAS/DAS/JESTRADA 
PASS TO MAC/DAS/HVINEYARD 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO SENV AMED CASC KSCA ECON ETRD BEXP EINV PGOV
TSPL, TRGY, TNGD, EIND, ENRG, KGHG, IN 
 
SUBJECT: INDIA'S SUPREME COURT APPROVES GO AHEAD FOR SMOKING BAN IN 
PUBLIC PLACES FROM OCTOBER 2 
 
NEW DELHI 00002622  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY:  India's Supreme Court on September 29, 2008 
refused to stay the Government of India notification to impose a ban 
on smoking in public places from October 2.  With India's Supreme 
Court approval, the Center has got the go ahead to impose the 
Ministry of Health notification of 30 May for Prohibition of Smoking 
in Public Places Rules, 2008.  This cable outlines notification 
details, the challenges and bridges crossed, international 
collaborating partners in this effort including HHS/CDC, and the 
Herculean task of making sure that the Rules are implemented and 
punishing those who violate in a country of a billion people.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
Notification of "Ban on Smoking in Public Places" 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2.  (U) Government of India's (GOI) Ministry of Health and Family 
Welfare Department of Family Welfare has notified on 30 May the 
Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008.  These are 
notified to come into force on 2 October 2008.  The public places 
defined in Section 3(1) of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products 
(Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, 
Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (34 of 2003) includes 
workplaces, shopping malls and cinema halls.  Workplaces include ban 
on smoking in private offices. 
 
¶3.  (U) The Supreme Court (SC) on 29 May 2008 quashed petitions in 
the Delhi High Court by passing the order "We are of the view that 
it is not a fit case for grant of interim relief.  The prayer 
staying implementation of prohibition of smoking in public places is 
rejected... Let transfer cases be heard on November 18."  The SC 
clarified that "no court in the country shall pass any order in 
derogation of thiQ order."  The GOI rushed to the SC on 26 September 
seeking transfer of all petitions from the High Courts (HC) to the 
apex court for a uniform adjudication.  The GOI plea included 
challenge to the ban on smoking in private offices pending before 
the HC's. 
 
Private Sector Up in Arms - Challenge the Rules 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶4.  (U) Petitions before the HC's include those by the tobacco 
manufacturer ITC Ltd, and another by the Indian Hotel Association. 
The petitioners moving separate pleas challenging the 30 May Rules 
opposed the notification saying such a ban on smoking at workplace 
was unjustified as it would include private offices. 
 
¶5.  (U) The Hotel industry is also angered by the notification as 
they felt they were complying with the earlier rules that made it 
mandatory for the hotels having a seating capacity of 30 or more to 
have a separate smoking zone.  The industry has pointed out that the 
present rules amount to "Inspector Raj."  [Note:  During India's 
pre-financial reform era of the pre-1990's businesses were bound by 
several rules and regulations, including obtaining licenses that 
hampered ability to function and stalled progress.  End Note.] 
 
¶6.  (U) According to the 30 May Rules a designated "smoking area or 
space" is defined as a physically separated and surrounded by high 
walls on all four sides, has an entrance with an automatically 
closing door normally kept in close position, has an air flow 
system, and has negative air pressure in comparison with the 
remainder of the building.  This designated space is defined to be 
used only for "the purpose of smoking and no other service (s) shall 
be allowed." 
 
NEW DELHI 00002622  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶7.  (U) The notification defines that the smoking area or space be 
used only for the purpose of smoking and that at its entrance or 
exits no other service shall be allowed.  The ban will also include 
shopping malls, cinema halls, airports, hotels and restaurants, 
hospitals, educational institutions, and railway stations.  A public 
place will include "open space surrounding such public places." 
 
HHS/CDC Partners India in Tobacco Control 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (U) For India from a public health viewpoint, tobacco is the 
most common preventable cause of death.  The National Family Health 
Survey-3 of 2005-06 observed that 57 percent men and 10.9 percent 
women consume tobacco in some form.  The Global Youth Tobacco 
Survey, 2006 indicates a decrease in the onset age of tobacco 
consumption to 13-15 years. 
 
¶9.  (U) HHS/CDC provides technical and financial support to India's 
Ministry of Health for the preparation of the Report on Tobacco 
Control, including preparation for the report in 2008 in 
collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).  The 
objective of this report is to collate the evidence-based 
information on tobacco use in India, complemented with an analysis 
of the current situation, and recommend proposals for future 
strategies for effective control. 
 
¶10. (U) HHS/CDC contributed towards the development of the "Bidi and 
Public Health" monograph" released by the Ministry of Health on 12 
May 2008.  The Report on Tobacco Control of India, 2004 stated about 
1 million people die due to tobacco consumption each year with 50 
percent of all cancer deaths in India due to tobacco consumption. 
Also, "bidi", the poor man's smoke is killing 600,000 people each 
year.  India produces 700 billion bidis annually, almost all of them 
consumed locally.  According to the bidi monograph, for every 
cigarette, eight bidis are sold in India, and nearly 2.3 percent of 
children aged 13-15 years are addicted to it.  The monograph reports 
that India is home to 100 million bidi smokers.  Health Secretary 
Naresh Dayal said bidi cultivation occupied 35 percent of the area 
under tobacco cultivation.  Indian States of West Bengal, Bihar, 
Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are epicenters of 
bidi rolling while Gujarat and Maharashtra are major suppliers of 
bidi tobacco leaves. 
 
¶11.  (U) The global community negotiated the health treaty in 2004, 
the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).  India is a 
signatory to the FCTC treaty and ratified this in February 2005. 
 
Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶12.  (U) Michael Bloomberg has provided the CDC Foundation a grant 
of USD 125 million to create a partnership to reduce tobacco use to 
establish systematic surveys to monitor global tobacco use among 
adults.  HHS/CDC is the implementing agency of this initiative.  As 
part of this activity, the two-year grant to the CDC Foundation will 
support the WHO and HHS/CDC efforts to design a standard survey 
protocol to collect data on tobacco use in low- and middle-income 
countries with the highest smoking rates and to track countries' 
progress in implementing tobacco-free programs.  In addition to the 
CDC Foundation, other key partners in the initiative include the 
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the World Lung Foundation, the Johns 
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the WHO. 
 
NEW DELHI 00002622  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
 
Implementing the Ban on Smoking - A Herculean Task 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶13.  (U) The notification stipulates that the person in charge of 
management of the property will ensure the rules are complied with 
and is liable to pay the fine.  Under the rules, those violating the 
smoking ban will be fined from Rupees 200 or USD 4.4 (at exchange 
rate of USD 1 = Rupees 45).  Health Minister Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss 
said that with smoking in public places a punishable offence from 2 
October "We are going by the old fine of Rupees 200.  But we want to 
increase the fine to Rupees 1,000 (USD 22.2) per person per offence 
and Rupees 5,000 (USD 111.1) for institutions.  A decision on this 
might be taken in the future."  Ramadoss was speaking on 9 September 
at the inauguration of the National Advocacy Workshop on Tobacco 
Control Laws and related issues in New Delhi.  The Health Ministry 
will organize five regional workshops to raise level of awareness as 
diverse stakeholders need to be sensitized for tobacco control. 
Ramadoss said "After 2 October, the only places you can smoke are 
the roads and your home, if your family will allow it." 
 
¶14.  (U) The GOI is well aware that tobacco control is 
multi-dimensional and inter-sectoral and requires actions on all 
fronts.  These include enforcement of anti-tobacco Acts, with 
several authorized officers eligible to take action on violations 
according to the Rules, prohibition of direct and indirect 
advertisements, prohibition in sale of tobacco products within 100 
yards of educational institutions to minors (