Health and consumer rights groups on Wednesday urged the Punjab government to lift a ban on e-cigarettes in the state while pointing out that the use of tobacco was on the rise in Punjab.

Two organizations -- one seeking to reduce tobacco's harmful effects and the other representing consumer rights group -- sought lifting of the government's recent ban on e-cigarettes. Dr Rohan Sequeira, a cardio-metabolic physician at Mumbai's Jaslok Hospital, termed the Centre's advisory as "a knee-jerk reaction".