New Delhi, Dec. 8 -- The Health and National Security Cess Bill, 2025 which introduces a cess on the production of specific goods, including pan masala, got Parliament's nod on Monday after the legislation was also approved by the Rajya Sabha.
The Lok Sabha had on Friday passed the bill, which introduces a cess on the production of certain demerit goods, including pan masala, to generate dedicated funds for bolstering public health programs and national security efforts.
Originally introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 1, the Bill targets machinery and manual processes involved in manufacturing pan masala and other goods as notified by the central government.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Statement of Object and Reasons, ...