Sale and consumption of tobacco in public places will henceforth invite a fine of Rs 1,000 while hookah bars will not be allowed to operate in Jharkhand from Monday.

The state Assembly passed The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to enact stringent provisions to curb the use of tobacco that which several lives in the country. Health minister Banna Gupta told reporters that Jharkhand had become the first state in the country to have successfully passed all the amendments of the central Act to pave way for stricter laws.

“The new law will give more teeth to our fight against tobacco to save public lives,” he said.

The provisions in Bill that was tabled on Monday also prohibit the sale of all kinds of tobacco within 100 meters of government offices and educational institutions. The Bill also prohibits the sale of tobacco products to those below 21.

Gupta said tobacco was one of the biggest killers in the country. “More than 40 per cent of non-communicable diseases like cancer, heart and lung disorders are because of the use of tobacco. Studies suggest that in India, more than 13.5 lakh people die every year because of this. As per the Global Addicts Tobacco Survey (GATS) of 2017, 27 crore people above the age group of 15 consume tobacco of which 59.7 per cent are male. In Jharkhand, 38.9 per cent of the total population in this age group are estimated to consume tobacco. Hence, the government has come up with stringent laws now,” he said.

He said the reason behind banning hookah bars was to curb the trend of minors and youths visiting these places and getting addicted to tobacco and its various varieties.

The state government also tabled two more Bills, namely, Jharkhand Harit Urja Upkar Vidheyak 2021 (green cess on power tariff to promote renewable energy) and Jharkhand Goods and Service Tax (amendment), 2021. These were also passed by the House.