The government decision to ban the depiction of smoking in films and television, with exceptions in certain cases like historical films, will come into force from Jan 1, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said Monday.

"A notification in this regard has been issued," Ramadoss told the 4th World Assembly on Tobacco Counters Health here.

Under the notification, indirect advertisements making use of any tobacco product brand for marketing and promotion or the advertisement of any other goods, services and events considered illegal would also be banned.

However, scenes depicting historical events and characters, live telecast of events, foreign films, old Indian films and documentaries highlighting the ill-effects of smoking are some cases where exceptions would be made.

According to a World Health Organisation study, 76 percent of Indian films influence the youth to take up smoking.

As a signatory to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, India has resolved to implement tobacco control strategies through legislative means and increased public awareness, Ramadoss said.

In this backdrop, the government enacted the anti-tobacco act, banned smoking in public places, and prohibited the advertisement of tobacco products as well as sale of tobacco products to minors and near educational institutions, in addition to the printing of nicotine and tar contents on cigarette pack.

Most of these provisions have come into force and the rest will follow shortly, said Ramadoss.

Ramadoss highlighted that medical expenditure on tobacco-related health problems was Rs.308.33 billion ($6.6 billion) annually. He also pointed out that smoking resulted in five million deaths around the globe every year.

WHO has indicated that by 2020, 70 percent of deaths due to tobacco use would be in low-income and middle-income groups, particularly in countries like India and China.

Based on community surveys, India accounts for around 900,000 deaths annually due to tobacco use.

Ramadoss told the world congress that India would soon issue stringent norms for tobacco packaging and labelling in a bid to check smoking, especially among the youth.

"Tobacco packaging will no more have innocuous looking messages but picturised and bold warnings as well as the percentage of harmful contents like nicotine and tar," he said.

Over 300 delegates from India and abroad are deliberating various ills of tobacco consumption at the conference. The congress will mull oncology and industrial and legal issues to provide the youth and future generations a life without nicotine.