Anti-tobacco groups in the country are up in arms against the smokeless tobacco industry which they claim is resorting to misleading advertisements that undermines the ill-effects of chewing gutka. Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Voluntary Health Association of India executive director Bhavna Mukhopadhyay said: “The smokeless tobacco industry has recently resorted to giving misleading advertisements to the print publications thereby trying to influence the minds of the people. Gutka (chewing tobacco) industry is trying to make mockery of the ban issued by the government. These advertisements are a misleading campaigns and the tobacco industry is just trying to regain its profits.” She added: “It is shocking that instead of abiding by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) regulation in letter and spirit, the smokeless tobacco industry is trying to make a mockery of it through a misinformation campaign in the media and selling new alternatives which could be even more hazardous than the banned chewing tobacco products.” Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare director Amal Pusp noted that it was necessary for all States to abide by the Central laws. “All misinformation campaigns go against the decisions of the courts. These advertisements are being repeatedly published and the government will look into the possibility of taking legal action against the advertisers,” he said. A total of fourteen States and one Union Territory has already implemented FSSAI notification and the various High Courts have clearly upheld the decision to ban gutka products. The move of gutka manufactures spending crores of rupees for front page advertisements is hence clearly an act to wedge the enforcement of FSSAI notification in rest of the States. All these advertisements systematically aim at spreading confusion among public and the States planning for implementation of the landmark enforcement efforts by FSSAI, noted a release issued by the Voluntary Health Association of India. Maharashtra Government Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Mahesh Zagade shared the implementation experience of his State and called for a nationwide enforcement of gutka ban considering the threat it pauses against public health of the people. “The misinformation campaign by the gutka industry is an effort to pollute the minds of people,” he noted.