Due to the COVID-19 spread, Government plans to ban over Paan Masala.

NEW DELHI: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday sought ban on the sale of smokeless tobacco products to check the spread of COVID-19 and because of this, the paan masala and gutka industries are worried over the ban proposal.

Managing Director of a large company that makes paan masala among other products said “Most of the large players who earlier used to make gutka have shifted to making zarda. Gutka anyway is banned in most of the states. The Minister needs to be clearer in his communication as such as paan masala, which is classified as food, into controversy”. The proprietor of a company that makes some of India’s most popular edible mouth freshener products, including paan masala and zarda said “The government needs to ban spitting completely instead of banning products such as chewing gums and paan masala”.

Ban over paan masala, this decision taken by government, for the protection of the people and for their benefit against COVID-19 pandemic. After the decision sought by the Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday, the paan masala, gutka and tobacco products, these companies worried about their revenues, which are severely depleted and their future. Banning on paan masala, this also impacted the mouth freshener and chewing gums companies.

There are few states like Rajasthan and Jharkhand have banned the sale of paan masala, gutka anmd tobacco products, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and also banned on spitting in public under the current guidelines of Ministry of Home Affairs.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year proved to be double whammy for paan masala and gutka manufacturers, and the government may also decided to tax on raw produce. Virginia tobacco, which is used to manufacture cigarette is sold under the aegis of the Tobacco Board of India through auctions and it is sold by farmers directly to the manufacturers.