Government of India has announced a total ban on e-Cigarettes in India citing health reasons.

“The Union Cabinet has given the approval to ban e-cigarettes. It means the production, manufacturing, import/export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertising related to e-cigarettes are banned,” finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a press conference.

The government is expected to pass an ordinance on the same in the next parliamentary session. It had earlier issued an advisory to all the states and UT’s to ensure that Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn devices, vape, e-sheesha, e-nicotine flavoured hookah, and devices that enable nicotine delivery are not sold, traded, manufactured or advertised in their jurisdictions.