📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Prime Minister's Office
Health
Karnataka Imposes One-Year Ban on Gutkha and Pan Masala Sales
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 12 Aug 2026, 04:38 PM
👁 6
The Karnataka government has issued an order banning the sale and manufacture of gutkha and pan masala for a period of one year, aiming to curb tobacco use and protect public health.
The state government of Karnataka has issued a comprehensive ban on the sale and manufacture of gutkha and pan masala, effective immediately and set to remain in force for one year.
Under the new directive, all retail outlets and manufacturers dealing with these tobacco products are prohibited from selling or producing them. The ban is part of the state’s ongoing efforts to reduce tobacco consumption and its associated health risks.
Health officials cited rising rates of oral cancers and other tobacco‑related diseases as key reasons for the prohibition. The order also aligns with national initiatives aimed at curbing the use of smokeless tobacco among the population.
Enforcement agencies have been instructed to monitor compliance, with penalties for violations ranging from fines to potential closure of non‑compliant businesses.
Under the new directive, all retail outlets and manufacturers dealing with these tobacco products are prohibited from selling or producing them. The ban is part of the state’s ongoing efforts to reduce tobacco consumption and its associated health risks.
Health officials cited rising rates of oral cancers and other tobacco‑related diseases as key reasons for the prohibition. The order also aligns with national initiatives aimed at curbing the use of smokeless tobacco among the population.
Enforcement agencies have been instructed to monitor compliance, with penalties for violations ranging from fines to potential closure of non‑compliant businesses.