Chennai, May 31 (ANI): Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has promised to impose a ban on smoking in public places from October 2 this year.

"An act on no smoking in public places has been brought out by the Centre two-and-a-half years ago, but it remained only on paper. Now, we have made a modification in the already enforced rule, and from October 2, 2008, the modified rule will be enforced strongly across the country," he said at a function here on the occasion of World Tobacco Day.

Elaborating on the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act-2003, Ramadoss said the Government of India has notified revised rules on the prohibition of smoking in public places as on May 30, 2008.

"As per the revised rules, smoking is banned in shopping malls, cinema halls, public/private work place, hotels, banquet halls, discotheques, canteen, coffee house, pubs, bars, airport lounge, railway stations", he said.

People can smoke on roads or in their homes, but not in any other place, he said.

The impact is more while smoking inside closed environment than in roads or streets, he said.

Ramadoss said 40 percent of deaths occur in India due to tobacco related diseases while two-third of deaths occurs due to smoking, junk foods and usage of drugs. (ANI)