NEW DELHI: India’s government on Wednesday announced plans for bigger health warnings on cigarette packets as part of its war against smoking, saying they must in future cover at least 85 per cent of the pack.

Tobacco use accounts for nearly half of all cancers among males and a quarter of all cancers among females and it is estimated that there will be 1.5 million tobacco-related deaths in India annually by 2020, according to an International Tobacco Control Policy report.

Beginning next April 1, every cigarette packet sold in India will have to carry an illustration of damage caused by cancer and an anti-smoking message, the health ministry said in a statement.

“I have specified that 60 per cent of the space must be devoted to a picture and 25 per cent to the legend,” Health Minister Harsh Vardhan told reporters.

That is up from health warnings that cover 20 per cent of cigarette packages sold in India now. “Many studies have established that the inclusion of larger and more noticeable health warnings on packages significantly impact life-expectancy rates and lead to savings on medical costs,” the minister said.

The move stops short of introducing plain packaging as in Australia.

But Indian tobacco companies will in future only be able to use 15 per cent of space on tobacco products for branding.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2014