2019 Lok Sabha Elections: EC Bans Smoking, Use of Chewable Tobacco in All Polling Booths During Polls
With the new order in place, the Commission has asked all states and UTs to issue instructions to all the district electoral officers-cum-district magistrates to ensure prohibition of smoking and use of chewable tobacco in all polling booths in the country.
New Delhi, December 27: The Election Commission of India (ECI), for the first time, has banned all kinds of tobacco in polling booths during the general elections in 2019. Reports inform that the EC has come up with the new rule to effectively implement tobacco control laws across the nation. With the new order in place, the Commission has asked all states and UTs to issue instructions to all the district electoral officers-cum-district magistrates to ensure prohibition of smoking and use of chewable tobacco in all polling booths in the country.
“All the polling booths in the country to be declared tobacco-free and not just smoke-free, so use of bidi, cigarette, gutkha, scented/ flavoured chewable tobacco are prohibited in all polling booth,” the EC guidelines. Lok Sabha Polls 2019: Election Commission Wants Maximum Voting by Differently-abled Eligible Voters.
According to reports, the move comes after Delhi government’s Health Department approached the Commission seeking a declaration of all polling stations as tobacco-free zones rather than just declaring them as smoke-free as it used to be in previous elections. As per new guidelines, each polling booth will have a banner put up, to create awareness about the new guidelines.
The presiding officer of each polling booth will be nominated as the nodal officer for ensuring tobacco-free status at their booths. The guideline further added saying that all district tobacco control cells will supervise and monitor this campaign to sensitise people on ill effects of tobacco.
In a letter, Additional Director (Health) Dr S K Arora had stated that tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease, disability and premature death and major threat to the present and future health of any population. “On election day, a majority of the population is likely to visit polling booth to cast its vote to be an excellent opportunity to sensitise among majority adult population on a single day through displayed multi-colour banners with a message on ill-effects of tobacco at the polling booth,” he said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2018 09:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).