Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday asked film actors and other media personalities to refrain from making statements in favour of smoking, arguing that the youth would be influenced by them.
"Some of the actors make bold statements. They should desist from doing so," Ramadoss told reporters on the sidelines of the National Health summit in New Delhi.
Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan had recently defended smoking in films saying that he did not believe Indian masses would start smoking as an on screen actor does.
"The powers that be should look at bigger health issues than smoking in films," Khan had said.
On the steps taken by his Ministry to check the use of tobacco, especially smoking, Ramadoss said the government was contemplating a policy to make working places free from smoking apart from tougher implementation of the national tobacco law.
"In the last two years, there has been a huge decline in smoking," he added