The health ministry has submitted the much-talked about bill to the Parliament Secretariat for enacting a law that will also ban smoking in public places.

The law will prohibit the publication of advertisements of tobacco products in newspapers, books and magazines and broadcast through radio, television and cinema.

Putting up billboards and printing leaflets and handbills or any other documents containing advertisement of tobacco will also be banned, the bill proposes.

No company will be allowed to distribute tobacco free of cost, arrange any competition and make any offer of scholarship or donation to make publicity of tobacco products.

The bill proposes a punishment of three months imprisonment or a fine of Tk 1,000 or both for violation of the law.

The bill titled 'Smoking and Tobacco Usage (control) Act 2005' also proposes a ban on smoking in public places and transports with a provision of penalty.

If anyone violates the provision, he or she will be fined Tk 50, the bill proposes.

Considering the health hazards caused by tobacco, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international organisations are sponsoring antismoking campaigns.

According to a WHO study, tobacco-related illnesses in Bangladesh cost Tk 66.9 billion a year, including Tk 27.4 billion spent on smoking.

On the other hand, economic benefits from the tobacco sector stand at Tk 24.8 billion, including Tk 20.3 billion in tax collected on the domestic consumption and Tk 4.5 billion earned as wages in tobacco production, says the study report released yesterday.

The government has moved to enact the antismoking law as a signatory to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Bangladesh signed it on June 16, 2003.

"It will be possible to check uncontrolled smoking and production of tobacco through enacting the law," Health and Family Welfare Minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain said in a statement on the bill for the 15th session of parliament beginning January 31.

"It will also contribute to the safety of public health," the minister said.

The five existing laws -- The Juvenile Smoking Act 1919, The Prohibition of Smoking in Show Houses Act 1952, The Railway Act 1890, The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance 1976 and The Chittagong Metropolitan Police Ordinance 1978, are not sufficient to prohibit smoking, said the health minister.

Once the law is enacted, smoking will be prohibited in public places like educational institutions, government, semi-government and autonomous body offices, libraries, hospitals and clinics, court, airports, seaports, river ports, railway stations, bus terminals, ferries, cinemas, theatre halls and children's parks.

Bus, train, launch, airplane and all other modes of transport to be defined by the government are where smoking is prohibited.

The bill however proposes that the authorities or caretaker of any public places or transport can make special arrangements for smokers.

Considering the adverse effect of the law on the tobacco farmers, the bill proposes the government to provide soft-loans to them to switch to other crops in the next five years.