NEW DELHI: In a bid to respond to growing illegal trade in tobacco products and curb illegal transaction, Minister of State for Commerce , Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that ways were being explored to stop tobacco production in the country and rovide alternatives to the tobacco farmers.
Sitharaman said that legal import of cigarettes were less than those coming in through illegal channels, posing serious problem for the government.
“Our concern is the illegal import of tobacco products. Illegal imports are increasing. We are trying to strengthen the borders so that illegal imports can be stopped. Commerce Ministry is in regular touch with Finance Ministry under which the customs department falls,” she said.
The total number of cases of smuggling of cigarettes detected by field formations of the Customs Department across the country during 2014-15 was 1312 consigments with a value of Rs 9.24 crore and during 2015-16, the number of cases was 2,731 with a value of Rs 16.16 crore.
According to a paper prepared by World Health Organisation, titled ‘Illicit Tobacco Trade In India: Forms, Trends and Potential Actions’, the smuggled cigarettes are suspected to be from Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China and the United Arab Emirates and common transit points are Delhi, Singapore and Dubai.