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Presented with a choice they had to make, most people would choose the lesser of two evils. Alternatively, they can view the lesser of two evils as being evil still and therefore do everything possible to avoid both.

These contrary choices seem to define the stances taken by the principal stakeholders who are party to the government's plan to impose a nationwide ban on e-cigarettes. Earlier last month, the health ministry proposed to crack down on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), which include e-cigarettes, and list them as drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to prevent their manufacture, sale, distribution and import.

E-cigarettes are by and large considered less harmful than conventional cigarettes but their long-term health impacts aren't clear.

Essentially a handheld battery-powered vaporiser, an e-cigarette simulates smoking and uses an electric charge to vaporise nicotine instead of burning tobacco.

Apart from nicotine, flavourings, additives and contaminants, the e-liquid in e-cigarettes usually contains propylene glycol and glycerol, which are mostly considered harmless when inhaled.

E-cigarettes contain far fewer chemical compounds compared to cigarettes.

Cigarette smokers are addicted to the nicotine the cigarettes contain, while the tar produced from burning tobacco has most of the carcinogenic and other harmful chemicals found in the smoke.

But the nicotine addiction triggered by e-cigarettes also has harmful effects, warn health experts.

E-cigarettes are designed with the promise of offering a similar high to smokers.

But while weaning smokers off tobacco, they remain addicted to nicotine, points out Shyam Aggarwal, oncologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.

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