The Health Ministry’s latest notifications on pictorial warning on all types of packages will be the biggest blow to Beedi Industry. Over 4.5 crore people are dependent on Beedi and Tendu leaf industry. Entire rural & small industries in the country are witnessing huge job losses, particularly among rural areas and unorganized sector workers, under crisis due to unprecedented pandemic. In such a situation this is the most inappropriate time for the Government to amend the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA).
The Beedi manufacturing industry is a traditional agro-forest-based industry in India. It’s a highly labour intensive and predominantly unorganized. The Beedi industry is one of the largest employers of workers in India, after agriculture, handloom and construction sectors. The majority are uneducated rural folk engaged in Beedi making. All these sections will affect due to lopsided and hasty decisions of the Government of India.
Health Ministry is bringing all such immature rules without considering basic livelihood of millions of workers depending on Beedi industry. So BMS strongly demands that the Government should separate Beedi from other Tobacco Products and formulate new policies accordingly.
The Labour Ministry and also ILO Delhi have tried to find out alternate livelihoods for Beedi workers but all their attempts have not succeeded due to large population of workers mostly uneducated women belongs to OBC, SC/ST and Muslim Communities. Similarly, the Ministry of Agriculture has tried to find alternative crops for tobacco and spending crores of rupees every year to encourage farmers to grow Crops alternative to Tobacco cultivation. All these attempts have failed. The Tobacco Research Institute could not convince the farmers on alternate crops.
Lack of comprehensive policy on Beedi is the real issue. Almost Seven Ministries are dealing with this subject. Each ministry is thinking differently in their angle. Ultimately it is the workforce which becomes the victim of the wrong and lopsided policies of Central Government. To formulate a Comprehensive policy, the Government should form an Inter-Ministry Committee comprising Labour, Health, Agriculture, Commerce, Finance, Forest, Tribal Affairs, Home Affairs, Women & Child Welfare and Skill Development. This committee should suggest an action plan within a month after Tripartite Consultations.
Vexed with continuous onslaughts by the Government, the Beedi Industry has decided to close the entire operations from 01-09-2020. BMS demands the Government of India to withdraw the present order (13-04-2020) and restore 2009 order which makes a mandatory display of pictorial warning on each Beedi bundle which a consumer purchases.
Time has come to launch a united agitation to save Beedi Industry and livelihood of 4.5crore people dependent on it against the lopsided policies of Central Government which will hamper livelihood of millions of rural poor and urban slums. BMS requests Beedi Owners, all the Trade Unions working among Beedi workers, Tobacco farmers, Agricultures workers, Tendu leaf pluckers, Tribal workers, elected representatives in the Beedi manufacturing areas to join together in the struggle.
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