Dated 1 July 2023, Saturday

The central government has banned cigarette lighters priced below 20 rupees. However, the import will be free if the CIF value is above Rs 20. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had written a letter to the Central Government in September 2022 requesting a ban on plastic lighters to save the match industry.

More than one lakh people are getting employment on match industry

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had written a letter to the Central Government in September 2022 requesting a ban on plastic lighters to save the match industry. He said that more than one lakh people are getting employment in match industry and most of them are women.

About 400 crores of foreign exchange earnings are earned through the match industry.

The Chief Minister wrote in a letter to Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal that the industry is considered an important engine for economic growth for agriculture. You already know that match industry earns about 400 crores of Foreign Exchange Earnings.

The lighter is thrown away after one use. This results in waste and pollution

India's own match market is currently struggling due to lighters coming from China, which are available for less than ten rupees. And once done, the lighter is thrown away. This results in the generation of waste and subsequently increases plastic pollution.