Hyderabad paan, beedi, cigarette and other tobacco traders have joined the nationwide protest against 85 per cent pictorial warning on the tobacco packets.
Traders on Thursday, crowded the streets and screamed their heart out, demanding the Government to roll back the new rule as it is snatching their bread and butter.
The sellers, organised a protest under the banner of Pan Shops Owners Association of India. It is an association of more than 1.5 lakh tobacco and paan vendors in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
“These horrifying pictures will have huge negative impact on our psyche and can possibly disturb our peace of mind and drive us to become mentally imbalanced,” President, Pan Shops Owners Association of India, Rangaraj Shankar Rao was quoted by IANS as saying.
Further to the above quote, Rao continued “If the US, which is considered the epitome of health and democratic rights in the world, have found graphic health warnings unconstitutional, then what argument does India have to push large, shocking warnings of 85 percent on tobacco packs ? In a country with huge socio-economic role of tobacco, large pictorial warnings is uncalled for especially when the rules have been framed in undemocratic manner.”
