New Delhi, Aug 20 : The government on Monday announced to replace the existing health warning images on the packs of cigarettes and other tobacco products with new sets of images for all tobacco product packs, which will be effective from September 1.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released two sets of specified health warning images, of which the first one will be valid for a period of 12 months starting September and the second one will come into effect after that.

"Any person engaged directly or indirectly in production, supply, import or distribution of cigarettes or any tobacco products shall ensure that all tobacco product packages have the specified health warnings exactly as prescribed," it said in a statement.

Those found violating the prescribed norms, the Ministry said, will face punishment as laid out in Section 20 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.



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Madurai(PTI): Former Kerala minister M A Baby was elected as the CPI(M) general secretary at the 24th party congress here on Sunday, sources said.

A section of the party leaders had backed All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) president Ashok Dhawale for the post.

Born to P M Alexander and Lilly Alexander in Kerala's Prakkulam in 1954, Baby's first exposure to politics came when he joined the Kerala Students Federation, the predecessor of the Students Federation of India, during his school days.

He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1998.

Baby has been a member of the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the CPI(M), since 2012.

The post of the party general secretary fell vacant following the death of Sitaram Yechury last year, after which Prakash Karat took over as the interim coordinator.

The 24th party congress of the CPI(M) began on April 2 and will end on Sunday.