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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Karnataka tightens COTPA rules; penalty for violations, legal age for purchasing tobacco products raised
Tightening tobacco control laws, the Karnataka government has notified major amendments to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day observed on May 31. The amendments —through which the maximum fine for violations under tobacco control laws has been increased from ₹200 to ₹1,000 and the legal age for purchasing tobacco products has been raised from 18 to 20 years— were approved by President Droupadi Murmu on May 23. The amended Act — the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (Karnataka Amendment) Act, 2024 — was published in the Karnataka Gazette on May 30. In addition to the existing ban on tobacco consumption in public places, chewing and spitting tobacco has also been prohibited. The other key amendments include a ban on the sale of loose cigarettes or single sticks and strict prohibition on the sale of tobacco products within 100 metres of any educational institution. This was earlier within 100 yards. Hookah bars The State has also imposed a blanket ban on hookah bars, regardless of whether they are located in restaurants, pubs, or cafes. As per the newly added Section 4A, operating a hookah bar will now invite imprisonment of one to three years and fines ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh under Section 21A of the Act. Despite an earlier ban, hookah bars were still found operating illegally in parts of Bengaluru. While designated smoking areas (DSAs) will still be allowed in hotels with over 30 rooms, restaurants with seating for more than 30 and airports, penalties for violations have increased from ₹ 200 to ₹ 1,000 under sections 21, 24, and 28. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said these amendments are part of the State government's larger strategy to safeguard public health, particularly in the younger generation in sensitive areas like schools and colleges. Stringent enforcement Surgical oncologist U.S. Vishal Rao, who is a member of the State government's High-Powered Committee on Tobacco Control, said the amendments are a significant step in the effort towards achieving tobacco control in Karnataka. 'We have known that as per data from the latest Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) for India, there has been a reduction in the number of tobacco users by about 81 lakh. Specifically, the prevalence of tobacco use among adults aged 15 and above has reduced by 7%. The amended Act makes enforcement more stringent, reducing the accessibility of these products to youth who are the main targets of the tobacco companies for initiating addiction,' Dr Rao told The Hindu. Following the amendments, the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda has appealed to all proprietors of hotels, bars, restaurants, clubs and pubs to remove illegal designated smoking areas (DSAs) or rooms which are not compliant with COTPA rules. 'DSAs must be distinctly marked and adequately ventilated as per the COTPA guidelines to ensure non-smokers are not exposed to second-hand smoke. It is imperative to note that providing of food, water, beverages, or any tobacco products within DSAs is strictly prohibited,' stated the appeal dated May 31. EOM/
Mint
3 days ago
- Mint
Karnataka raises legal age for tobacco consumption to 21, prohibits hookah bars
Karnataka government has notified a legislation which now prohibits hookah bars, and has raised the legal age for buying tobacco products to 21 years. It has also increased the fines for the violation of these laws. Earlier, the legal age to buy tobacco products in the state was 18 years. The new law prohibits the sale of cigarettes or other tobacco products to a person below the age of twenty one years, and has also increased the fines for smoking in a public place and for sale of tobacco to people aged 21 and below, from ₹ 200 to ₹ 1,000. The notification was issued on May 30, following the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2024, receiving the assent of the President on May 23. The Act that prohibits the use of tobacco products in public places says, no person shall use tobacco products in any public place. As per the Act, the 'use' of tobacco means smoking and spitting of tobacco. However, in a hotel having thirty rooms or a restaurant having seating capacity of thirty persons or more and in airports, a separate provision for smoking area or space may be made, it added. The section 4A of the Act, prohibits opening or running of hookah bars. "No person shall either on his own or on behalf of any other person shall open or run any hookah bar, in any place including the eating house or pub or bar or restaurant by whatever name it is called," it said. According to the Act, "hookah" bar means an establishment or place where people gather to smoke tobacco or other similar products from a communal hookah or narghile, which is provided individually. Regarding punishment for running hookah bar, the Act says, whoever contravenes the provisions of section 4A, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year but may extend to three years and with fine which shall not be less than fifty thousand rupees but may extend up to one lakh rupees. 'No person shall sell, offer for sale or permit the sale of cigarettes or any other tobacco products to any person who is under the age of twenty one years. It cannot be sold in an area within a radius of one hundred meters of any educational institution; and it cannot be sold in loose or in single sticks,' the Act added.
News18
4 days ago
- Business
- News18
Karnataka's New Rules For Tobacco Violations And Hookah Bars
Last Updated: Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat governments also have state amendments detailing the same. Karnataka has hiked the maximum fine for violating the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) to Rs 1,000 from Rs 200. A government order in this regard came on Friday. The President approved the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2024, on May 23. It was published in the official Karnataka Gazette Extraordinary on May 30, and has since come into force. In September 2023, the state government decided to tighten regulations by amending the law to completely ban hookah and shisha bars. They also planned to raise the minimum age for buying tobacco products. The amended act now clarifies that using tobacco products in public places includes both smoking and spitting. A new section, 4A, prohibits the opening and running of a hookah bar, stating, 'in any place including the eating house or pub or bar or restaurant by whatever name it is called". Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat governments also have state amendments detailing the same. The amendment also inserts a new section 21A, which details the punishment for operating a hookah bar now carries a punishment of 1-3 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The minimum age to buy tobacco products in Karnataka has been increased from 18 to 21 years. This change aims to curb tobacco use among young people. Section 6 of the Principal Act now prohibits selling tobacco products to anyone under 21. Prohibition on the sale of cigarettes or other tobacco products to a person below the age of twenty-one years in a particular area. No person shall sell, offer for sale, or permit the sale of cigarettes or any other tobacco products to any person who is under the age of twenty-one years, in an area within a radius of one hundred meters of any educational institution; and loose or in single sticks. The fines detailed under Sections 21, 24 and 28 of the Act, for smoking in a public place and for the sale of tobacco to people aged 21 and below, have been increased to Rs 1,000. First Published: May 31, 2025, 08:45 IST
