More than 10 years after India enacted its anti-tobacco legislation, the Centre is yet to ready its network of five tobacco-testing laboratories that would have enabled it to monitor tobacco companies, like seeing whether they are maintaining the required level of tar and nicotine in cigarettes. The laboratories will evaluate both smoking and smokeless tobacco products, said a health ministry official. The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh has only recently earmarked space for the first tobacco-testing laboratory. It would be followed by four more similar laboratories in Andhra Pradesh, Mumbai, Noida and in the North-East. The Chandigarh laborat... [Read more]