Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to move the Health and National Security Cess Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha on Thursday for consideration and passing. The proposed legislation seeks to impose a cess on the production of certain goods, including pan masala, to generate dedicated funds for enhancing public health programs and national security efforts.

Originally introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 1, 2025, the Bill targets machines and manual processes involved in manufacturing pan masala and other goods notified by the central government. “It is proposed to levy ‘Health Security se National Security Cess’ to contribute towards the twin purposes of enabling targeted utilisation for public health as well as national security,” Sitharaman stated in the Bill’s Statement of Objec

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