India’s trade ministry says it cannot impose a ban on electronic cigarette imports as there is no legal basis for it, according to an internal government memo seen by Reuters.

The country’s health ministry repeatedly calls for a ban and urges states and government agencies to step up efforts to stop sales and imports of e-cigarettes, warning that vaping devices pose a “great health risk”, the report said.
According to the report, India has 106 million adult smokers, second only to China, making it a lucrative market for companies to introduce e-smoking devices in the country. The market for vapour-products market was valued at USD 15.6 million (EUR 13.8 million) in 2017 and is seen growing almost 60 per cent annually in the next few years, Euromonitor International estimates. About one third of India’s 29 states currently ban the sale of e-cigarettes.