Colombo, Feb 10 (IANS): Sri Lanka's new government presented fresh legislation to parliament Tuesday aiming to print graphic pictorial warnings on cigarette packets, an official said.

Minister of Health Rajitha Senaratne presented the Bill to amend the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act, No.27 of 2006 to parliament.

The legislation was a key election pledge of President Maithripala Sirisena ahead of his election Jan 8.

"We must enact this long delayed legislation to protect the youth of this country," Xinhua news agency quoted Senaratne as telling parliament.

According to the regulation, the pictorial health warning shall be printed on both sides of every cigarette packet and shall cover at least 80 percent of the total area.

The Bill also states that cigarettes will not be sold unless health warnings are displayed conspicuously in legible print on top surface area of both front and back sides of every packet.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 20,000 Sri Lankan people die every year from various health complications caused by tobacco, a number that is set to double in the next decade.