384 cases of violations under Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act filed from 2021-25

New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) The government on Tuesday informed the Rajya Sabha that 384 cases of violations under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA) have been registered from 2021 to 2025 across India and 1,248 stocks have been seized, with the highest number of violation cases (229) getting reported from Maharashtra.
     The Union Health Ministry has issued advisories to all states and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure the effective compliance of PECA, 2019, Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav said in a written reply. Health is a state subject and enforcement of tobacco control laws is the prerogative of each state and UT, he added.
     The Union Health Ministry enacted PECA to prohibit the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of electronic-cigarettes and like devices.
     The ministry has launched a portal to report online violations of PECA and Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003 for reporting the sale or advertisement of electronic cigarettes online, including on e-commerce platforms, websites and the like, Jadhav stated.
     The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) conducts the annual Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign to raise awareness about the harms of tobacco and nicotine addiction among youth since 2023.
     One of the key strategies of the campaign is the rigorous enforcement of tobacco control laws, including PECA, 2019.
     According to the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Department of Revenue, Custom officials in Customs Field Formations and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence keep constant vigil and take operational measures, inter alia, based on intelligence, passenger profiling with the aid of Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), risk-based interdiction and targeting and non-intrusive inspection like baggage and container scanning for purposes of thwarting smuggling of e-cigarettes.
     Field formations of CBIC are regularly sensitised to newer methods of smuggling by way of issuing alert modus operandi circulars, Jadhav informed.
     On the detection of contraband smuggling cases, action is taken in accordance with the Customs Act, 1962 including seizure of smuggled e-cigarettes, arrest and prosecution of the persons involved, the minister said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)