“This loophole keeps the interests of large foreign tobacco players alive in the Indian tobacco market. A complete ban on FDI in tobacco is a pre-requisite to provide a levelling ground for tobacco control policies,” CAT Chairman Vincent Nazareth said. Asking the Centre to “urgently plug all loopholes in the FDI policy on tobacco” in order to ensure a comprehensive ban, as the health of the nation is at huge risk. (File Photo Source: Thinkstock Images)The government needs to urgently plug all loopholes in the FDI policy on tobacco and have a comprehensive ban on it, ensuring that no steps are taken to dilute it, says non-profit body Crusade Against Tobacco. Reacting to concerns raised by Niti Aayog over total FDI ban in tobacco sector, CAT also said the current policy only partially prohibits FDI into the sector and has been ineffective in stopping innovative and indirect channels for foreign tobacco firms to infuse funds for promotion of their global brands in India.

Source: Indian Express July 03, 2016 07:41 UTC