The Union Health Ministry is reportedly planning to request the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to stop displaying advertisements for smokeless tobacco, particularly surrogate ads from gutka manufacturers endorsed by Bollywood celebrities and former cricketers, within cricket stadiums.

According to a report in a leading business news portal, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), under the aegis of the health ministry will ask the cricket body to stop broadcasting surrogate advertisements promoting tobacco.

“There have been multiple instances wherein surrogate smokeless tobacco ads are being displayed during cricket matches and celebrity endorsement happening. This tends to indirectly attract the youths,” the report quoted an official aware of the matter as saying.

The report also mentioned about a study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Vital Strategies, a global health organization, published in the British Medical Journal in May. According to the study, as much as 41.3% of all surrogate ads of smokeless tobacco (SLT) brands in 2023 were displayed during the last 17 matches of the cricket world cup.