Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced a comprehensive ban on gutka, which will come into effect from September 11, in the state which is going to polls by year end.
“I have to save the youths of Gujarat, from the dreaded evil of cancer and that’s why a decision to impose a complete ban on gutka has been taken,” Mr. Modi said in his 66th Independence Day speech.
The complete ban on the product (sale, stocking, production and distribution) shall come into effect from September 11, he said.
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The practice of chewing gutka by youngsters cannot be encouraged. If calculated in monetary terms, gutka consumption is expensive than eating almonds, Mr. Modi said.
Maharashtra government recently imposed a comprehensive ban on gutka and pan masala. Gutka is also banned in Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, while Rajasthan government had last month announced its decision to ban the product.
From September 11, the production, storage, sale and distribution of gutka shall be banned in the state, a state official said.
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The deadline for its implementation has been strategically planned to ensure disposal of the existing stock in circulation by then, he said.