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. 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. 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.

Source: The Hindu October 15, 2024 06:10 UTC