CHENNAI: Finance minister Thangam Thennarasu announced in the Assembly on Saturday that the state government is moving towards a ban on cigarette lighters, a move that could protect the livelihoods of thousands of match factory workers across the state.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has endorsed the proposal for the ban and forwarded it to the state government for final approval.

The minister was responding to a special call attention motion raised by AIADMK legislator and former minister Kadambur C Raju, who urged the government to ban the sale of plastic lighters. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, without waiting for the Union Government's nod, have already implemented such a ban, citing the economic harm caused to local industries. The TN government should replicate it for the welfare of matchstick industry workers.

Thennarasu said Speaker M Appavu, Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi, minister Geetha Jeevan, and several other legislators have raised similar concerns. "We have already banned 14 single-use plastic items in the state. Use-and-throw cigarette lighters, sold for Rs 20, pose a direct threat to the matchstick industry, particularly in Kovilpatti, Sattur, and Sivagangai," he said.