BCCI Told to Stop Tobacco and Pan Masala Ads in Indian Stadiums By Health Ministry

The Indian Government is expected to begin a crackdown on the advertisements of tobacco brands and companies, and their latest move could be their removal from the Cricket Stadiums around the country. According to Sources, The Union Health Ministry wrote a letter to the BCCI to tell them to stop the open branding of tobacco companies on billboards in the stadiums that are controlled by the BCCI.

Indian Ministry's directive to BCCI over ban of tobacco hoardings at stadiums 

A letter has been written by the Health Ministry to officially take up the issue with the BCCI health secretary. They are likely to meet BCCI officials soon. The Government of India wants to ban the display of all advertisements related to tobacco companies, including surrogate advertisements, something which all the tobacco and gutka manufacturing brands have been doing lately and is being endorsed by a lot of notable celebrities as well as former cricketers. 

The report also states that, according to a study by Vital Strategies and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that originally appeared in the British Medical Journal in May, 41.3% of all surrogate advertisements for smokeless tobacco (SLT) brands in 2023 were shown during the final 17 ODI World Cup matches.

It is often seen that the brands have been using advertisements in various stadiums to promote their brand, and they were widely visible to the viewing audience in most part of the matches, including the India vs England red-ball series. It is generally seen as a common sight, and the government is looking to curb it.