India has taken the lead globally in raising awareness of the lethal consequences of tobacco use after warnings on OTT platforms. The Union Health Ministry has announced new guidelines for anti-tobacco alerts on OTT platforms. If the publisher of online content violates the guidelines, an interministerial committee will act on its initiative or in response to a complaint. 

World No Tobacco Days 2018 theme is "We Need Food, Not Tobacco." Within three months of their publication in the Official Gazette, the new regulations on cigarettes and other tobacco products will go into effect.

Every publisher of online curated content that depicts tobacco products or their use is required to include anti-tobacco health spots that last at least thirty seconds each at the beginning and middle of the program, as well as audio-visual disclaimers about the adverse effects of tobacco use that last at least twenty seconds each.

The display of tobacco products or their use in online curated content shall not include: (a) display of the brands of cigarettes or other tobacco products or any other form of tobacco product placement; (b) display of tobacco products or their use in promotional materials. The health spots, message, and disclaimer must be made available to the publisher of the online curated content on the website.

 This is a great move by the government to promote public health. Additionally, it is required by the constitution that young children be shielded from the dangers of tobacco use and that everyone has a basic right to health.

(Source:https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/policy/india-becomes-a-global-leader-by-regulating-anti-tobacco-warnings-on-ott-platforms/100663248)