Thou shalt not smoke (in a public place)

In a couple of days India will join countries with strict bans on smoking in public places including offices. While the merits of such a ban can be debated - informed choice vs state intervention -two things come to mind:

1. I hope this ban actually works and helps people cut down on smoking.

2. Ramadoss is one hell of a minister - for all his autocratic flaws, once he sets his mind to something he figures out some way of getting it done. Peer and public opinion be damned.  Refreshing to see this in a politician.

Here is and except from the text of the government order that comes into effect from Gandhi Jayanti two days hence.

And some interesting pictures can be found here.

Finally - the ministry of health website contains an interesting report on tobacco control, which I found to be an interesting reading especially the section on the history of tobacco use in the country. Lots of interesting data too.

And if you find the subject interesting, here's an interesting anti-smoking article from Newsweek.