Subhechcha Ganguly 
Inbound shipments of gas-powered, non-refillable pocket lighters totaled USD 0.66 million in 2022–2023.It was formerly free to import cigarette lighters under $20, but as of Thursday, this is no longer allowed. However, the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) stated in a notification that imports must be free if the CIF value (cost, insurance, and freight) is $20 or more per lighter.Inbound shipments of gas-powered, non-refillable pocket lighters totaled USD 0.66 million in 2022–2023. In April of this fiscal year, it was USD 0.13 million.In contrast, sales of gas-powered, refillable pocket lighters increased from USD 7 million in 2021–22 to USD 8.87 million in 2022–23. In April of this fiscal year, it totaled USD 0.96 million.
MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, requested in a letter to the centre in September 2022 that single-use plastic cigarette lighters be prohibited in order to protect the matchbox sector, a significant employer in the state’s southern region. Over a lakh people, the majority of them are women, make their living from this traditional industry.”In a location that is too dry for agriculture, the sector is a crucial driver of economic growth. You are probably already aware that the matchbox business sells its products for almost 400 crore rupees in foreign exchange revenue, the CM said in a letter to Union Minister of Commerce and business Piyush Goyal.Stalin congratulated Goyal in a tweet on Thursday after the prohibition was announced.
According to Kathiravan, secretary of the Tamil Nadu Match Manufacturers Association, the lighters are being illegally imported from China as “empty lighter cases” using fabricated invoices to get over the prohibitions on combustible materials and fool the customs.Due to its negative impacts on the environment, the Andaman and Nicobar government issued a gazette notification in 2019 outlawing its use entirely.
