What is shocking is that there are a few brands which are yet to comply with the government order on pictorial warnings. At least eight brands of chewing tobacco and nine brands of smoking forms of tobacco do not have any warnings.

While three brands were found carrying incorrect warnings, on packages of some products the warnings are not displayed in the regional language in which the brand name is mentioned, as mandated by the law.

'Some gutka companies are again circumventing pictorial warnings by covering 40 percent area of the pack with white colour and devoting much less space to the warning. The government should hold them accountable in the interest of public health and social justice,' said Bobby Ramakant, representative of the Indian Society Against Smoking, Lucknow.

Monika Arora, director of NGO HRIDAY said: 'The intent with which this provision was notified is not being fulfilled. The coming into force of the warnings was already delayed by two years and now this provision is ineffectively enforced.'