CHENNAI: M K Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, wrote a letter to Piyush Goyal, the minister of commerce and industry, urging him to take action to forbid the importation of single-use plastic cigarette lighters.

The Chief Minister also demanded tough action against the importation of plastic cigarette lighters.

In the letter, Stalin mentioned that the matchbox industry, which was one of the major employment generators in South Tamil Nadu, was passing through a very bad phase at present. He said that the South Tamil Nadu matchbox industry employed about one lakh people, most of whom were women.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said,  Pakistan and Indonesia present significant export market hurdles for the state's matchbox business. He said that the matchbox sector in Tamil Nadu has suffered as a result of rising import costs, transportation problems caused by the Covid-19 epidemic, and other factors.

Stalin said that in addition to this, the domestic market is encountering another major hindrance through single-use plastic cigarette lighters that are available for Rs 10 and can be a substitute for 20 matchboxes.  He said that because they are composed of unfriendly plastics, these non-refillable cigarette lighters are seriously harming the environment.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister warned the Union minister in a letter that was leaked to the public that the traditional matchbox business in the state would die if imported cigarette lighters gained market dominance, threatening the livelihood of thousands of people.

In sections of the state without farmland, he added, the matchbox business was one of the main drivers of local economic expansion.

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