India bans e-cigarettes citing health hazards

123rf

India on Wednesday banned sale, production, import and distribution of electronic cigarettes.

Making the announcement on Wednesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted how e-cigarettes are being used as a "style statement".

The ban was necessary to ensure e-cigarettes don't become an "epidemic" among children and young adults, she added.

Health officials have proposed jail terms of up to three years, with a penalty of up to ₹5 lakh (around AED 25,700), for repeat offenders.

More from International News

  • UN warns funding cuts threaten vital aid

    The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have sounded the alarm over severe funding shortfalls that are hindering life-saving humanitarian aid in countries including Nigeria, Burundi, and Colombia.

  • Multiple dead in Vancouver after vehicle plows into street festival

    A number of people were killed and multiple others were injured in Vancouver after a vehicle drove into a crowd at a Filipino street festival in the western Canadian city, police said on Saturday.

  • Rome and the world bid farewell to Pope Francis

    Presidents, royalty and simple mourners bade farewell to Pope Francis on Saturday at a solemn funeral ceremony, where a cardinal appealed for the pontiff's legacy of caring for migrants, the downtrodden and the environment to be kept alive.

  • Trump, Zelenskyy meet in Vatican basilica to seek Ukraine peace

    US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, met one-on-one in a marble-lined Vatican basilica on Saturday to try to revive faltering efforts to end Russia's war with Ukraine.

Coming Up

  • Non Stop 92

    8:00pm - 10:00pm

  • Dubai 92 Chilled

    10:00pm - Midnight