Katra, home to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, bans cigarette sales, possession, and consumption on World No-Tobacco Day.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has imposed a ban on the sale, possession, and consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products in Katra, a town housing the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi. The ban, which extends to existing prohibitions on liquor and meat sales, was launched on World No-Tobacco Day and aims to maintain the religious sanctity of the site, which attracts millions of pilgrims annually.