The Ministry of Health has urged Indian Premier League (IPL) and the cricket board to ban advertisements and surrogate advertisements of tobacco and alcohol on telecast, at the stadium and related events, according to a report in The Economic Times.
The Director General of Health Services Atul Goel wrote to IPL Chairman Arun Singh and the Board of Control for Cricket in India, urging the sports bodies to prevent any sportsperson or commentator from endorsing these products in any form.
Upholding the role played by cricketers, Goel said that IPL is the largest sports platform in the country and cricketers have a moral and social obligation to promote public health and the health initiatives of the government.
Goel also mentioned the role of tobacco and alcohol as risk factors for non-communicable diseases, emphasising that India ranks second in tobacco-related deaths globally.