Despite the ban imposed by the Union government in 2019, e-cigarettes continue to be sold on e-commerce sites, even to children below 18, warn experts working in the area of tobacco control. Now to curb this, the Health Ministry has launched an online portal to facilitate reporting of violations under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act (PECA).
The portal, www.violation-reporting.in, will allow faster action against any reported violations, the government said.
“The ban on electronic cigarettes was introduced to protect our younger generation from a new form of toxic addiction. It’s a welcome move by the Health Ministry to launch the online portal for strict enforcement, implementation and to ensure the ban is effective,” Binoy Mathew, programme manager, Voluntary Health Association of India, said.
