Imports of cigarette lighters under Rs 20 banned by Centre: Here's why

The Centre, on Thursday, banned the imports of cigarette lighters costing less than Rs 20, which used to be 'free' of prohibitions untill now. However, if the CIF value (cost, insurance, and freight) is above Rs 20, the import shall be free, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) informed via a notification.

Also Read | Govt prohibits import of cigarette lighters under Rs 20

The import of refillable, gas-fuelled, and pocket lighters stood at $8.87 million in 2022-23. In contrast, as per data till April of this fiscal, this number stood at $0.96 million, reported Hindustan Times.

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin's push

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin, in September 2022, shot off a letter a to the Centre requesting it to ban single-use plastic lighters to protect the matchbox industry, which employs a huge chunk of the working population in Tamil Nadu. The matchbox industry provides employment to over 1 lakh people, of whom, a majority are women.

"The industry is a vital engine of economic growth in a region that is arid for agriculture. You will be already aware that the matchbox industry earns foreign exchange revenue of around ₹400 crore through exports," the CM had noted in a letter addressed to Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal.

Following the notification on Thursday, Stalin took to Twitter to thank Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal. The post-Covid supply chain disruptions, and stiff competition from countries like Indonesia and Pakistan have led to hurdles in exporting homemade matchboxes, Stalin stated. The domestic matchstick market in India is also struggling because of China-made single-use lighters which are available for as low as Rs 10. Once exhausted, these lighters are thrown away which results in generating tons of plastic waste, he added.

In 2019, the Andaman & Nicobar Island authorities had already imposed a blanket ban on single-use lighters citing environmental degradation. The Centre in 2022, had put a ban
on 30 single-use plastic items, which included cigarette packets.

(With PTI inputs)