Bengaluru: Tobacco products who do not implement the new rule of pictorial warning covering 85% of the display area of tobacco products will be withdrawn from the market from May 31.

Joint Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, K C Samria, mentioned the new rule in letter to the chief secretaries of all states and union territories on May 20.

The letter states, “It may further be ensured that tobacco products not compliant with the new rules are withdrawn from the market latest by 31st May, 2016, to be allowed for sale only by printing, pasting or affixing the new warnings thereon covering 85% of the principal display area, in terms of the new rules in effect from 1st April, 2016.”

The states have been asked to enforce the rule with immediate effect.

Earlier in October 2014, the Centre had proposed that warnings cover 85 per cent of the packs of tobacco products.