Films with smoking scenes should carry anti-smoking warnings

Signalling some progress in the deadlock over anti-tobacco rules, the I&B ministry has asked the Censor Board to ensure that a film having smoking scenes also carries two 20 second anti-tobacco warnings voiced by the actor who is seen smoking in the film.

Signalling some progress in the deadlock over anti-tobacco rules, the I&B ministry has asked the Censor Board to ensure that a film having smoking scenes also carries two 20 second anti-tobacco warnings voiced by the actor who is seen smoking in the film.

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Sources told PTI that the ministry has asked for two slots one in the beginning of the movie and one after the interval for these warnings.

Apart from this, the ministry has also asked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) that a written anti-smoking warning of appropriate size is presented on the screen through the duration of the scenes in which an actor is smoking.

"The I&B ministry has written to the CBFC seeking certain anti-smoking rules, which the health ministry had wanted. However, a complete agreement on the issue between the two ministries is yet to be reached," a well placed source said.

Last year on September 27, the Health Ministry had through a notification come up with a set of anti-tobacco rules in the films meant to be implemented from November 2011 onwards.

However, on several points the Health and the Information and Broadcasting ministries were not on the same page. The matter was then referred to the Law ministry which suggested both ministries to come to an understanding.

Sources said while some points suggested by the Health ministry had been incorporated now, some of the other suggestions were yet to be accepted. The Health ministry had wanted one of its representatives in the Central Board of Film Certification, which is still being contested by I&B ministry.

Another point of variance between the two ministries revolves around the Health ministry's contention that each film which has a smoking scene should be automatically classified U/A. The I&B ministry was not in favour of implementing such a rule, sources said.