NEW DELHI: As the new norms to put larger pictorial warning covering 85 per cent of the packaging space for tobacco products came into effect on Friday, major cigarette companies like ITC and Godfrey Philips have decided to stop manufacturing tobacco products and close units across the country.
Existing pictorial warnings cover only 40 per cent of the front of the pack.
Industry estimates a loss of Rs 350 crore per day for the companies and claimed this would impact the lives of 45.7 million workers.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in a 2011 report, estimated that annually, the economic impact due to tobacco-related diseases was Rs 1,04,500 crore (1.16 per cent of GDP). Tobacco Institute of India sought clarification on new norms.