New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) BJP leader Shalini Yadav on Wednesday said that the increasing prevalence of e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn products among India's youth is a cause of concern and is putting their future at risk, according to a statement issued by an anti-vaping group, MAV.
Mothers Against Vaping is a collective of proactive and concerned mothers that has been spearheading a campaign to raise demand for awareness against electronic cigarettes.
According to the statement, Yadav highlighted and applauded the initiatives taken by the MAV for saving the future of the children and the nation.
She said that the new-age addiction devices are luring our children and youth towards a faster and more dangerous addiction to nicotine.
Although such products are banned in India, foreign companies continue to push them into the country to create a new generation of nicotine users, Yadav said.
"This is a conspiracy that we cannot ignore and has to be stopped," she said.
She further called for immediate and decisive action against such products.
Shalini Yadav is a former Samajwadi Party leader and had contested the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in 2019 against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She, however, joined the BJP in 2023.
Other leaders including Shehzad Poonawala, National BJP Spokesperson, have talked about the need to strictly enforce the ban on addiction devices, including vapes and e-cigarettes.
The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act came into force in 2019 in India. In May 2023, the union government issued public notices for stricter implementation of the act.
Indicating the presence of a black market for vapes, the Union Health and Family Ministry has reported 350 vape-related violations since 2022.
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