Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday thanked Union Minister Piyush Goyal for fully accepting his demands by banning single-use plastic cigarette lighters under ₹20 and now restricting the import of parts for cigarette lighters.
In a social media post, Mr. Stalin said: “This welcome move strengthens Tamil Nadu’s matchbox manufacturers, safeguarding over a lakh jobs and reducing harmful plastic waste.”
In June last year, Mr. Stalin thanked Mr. Goyal for taking action to prohibit the import of pocket cigarette lighters following the former’s letter in 2022. The CM had welcomed the decision by describing it as a significant step towards protecting the livelihoods of over a lakh people in Tamil Nadu’s matchbox industry.
Mr. Stalin had highlighted that the match box manufacturing industry was a major source of employment in the southern part of Tamil Nadu but was going through a very difficult phase currently.
The CM flagged “stiff challenges” from Pakistan and Indonesia in the export markets. He pointed out that the industry was also fast losing its domestic market as a result of competition from single-use plastic cigarette lighters which were legally and illegally imported from countries like China.
Published – October 14, 2024 11:35 pm IST