Young doctors have identified six weaknesses in the existing Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act, 2005 (amended in 2013), and demanded that these provisions be aligned with the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). 

The proposed amendments include, prohibiting designated smoking areas (DSAs) in all public places and public transport; banning the display of tobacco products at points of sale;  completely banning tobacco companies from engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities; banning all emerging tobacco products, including e-cigarettes; increasing the size of pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packaging from 50% to 90%; and prohibiting the sale of single stick cigarettes, open packs, and unwrapped smokeless tobacco products, reads a press release. 

The call was made today, Saturday (December 21, 2024), at a day-long workshop titled "Role of Young Physicians in Tobacco Control to prevent non-communicable diseases and protect public Health."