This year marks the 25th year of the ban on smoking in public places, a landmark judgement of the Kerala High Court. Subsequently, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003 was passed, which prohibited smoking in public places and introduced penalties for violations.
Despite decades of policy action, however, India is the world’s second-largest consumer and producer of tobacco, and consequently faces a formidable public health and economic challenge.
