Maharashtra to continue ban on gutkha, pan masala: Ajit Pawar

The ban on gutkha, pan masala and tobacco related products, which came into effect from July 2012 would continue, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar said here today.
The state government banned gutkha and pan masala across the state from July 20, 2012.
"The ban on gutkha, tobacco and pan masala will continue in the state," Pawar said, while speaking at a programme on the occasion of the World Anti-Tobacco day.
Calling for a public participation to succeed in the ban on gutkha and pan masala, he said the decision to ban these products was taken with unanimity in a cabinet meeting.

The government had said that initially the ban would be valid for a year, after which it could be extended for another 12 months.
Figures show that gutkha was one of the major reasons for oral diseases such as cancer.

The state had attempted to ban gutkha in 2002 and then in 2008, but encountered several legal hurdles.
In 2010, the state banned the sale of gutkha and cigarettes within 100 metres of schools and colleges.
At a public forum in June last year, Pawar had openly pressed for a ban on gutkha and pan masala, saying that it does not matter even if the government faces a loss of Rs 100 crore in taxes on these products.

"Compromising with lives of youth is unacceptable," he had said.