Imports of cigarette lighters, priced less than Rs 20, are already prohibited. The import ban is also there on pocket lighters, gas-fuelled, non-refillable or refillable.
Last year, the government also issued mandatory quality standard norms for flame-producing lighters with a view to contain import of sub-standard goods and boost domestic manufacturing.
Items under the quality control orders (QCO), cannot be produced, sold/traded, imported and stocked unless they bear the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) mark.
During April-July this fiscal, import of lighter parts stood at USD 3.8 million. It was USD 4.86 million in 2023-24. The parts are mainly imported from China.
Other sources of lighter imports include Spain, Turkey and the UAE. In September 2022, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin had urged the Centre to ban single use plastic cigarette lighters to help the domestic matchbox industry. These plastic cigarette lighters, which are legally and illegally imported from countries like China, are available for Rs 10 and can substitute 20 matchboxes. Further, these non-refillable lighters result in immense plastic waste, damaging the environment and also impacting health, he had said.
The matchbox manufacturing industry is a major source of employment in the southern part of Tamil Nadu.
India has been taking a series of measures to cut imports from China, which is India’s second largest trading partner after the US. The country’s merchandise imports from China has increased to USD 101.73 billion in 2023-24 from USD 98.5 billion in 2022-23. Exports to the neighbouring country, though, have increased at a slower pace and aggregated at USD 16.65 billion in the previous fiscal as against USD 15.3 billion in 2022-23.
India’s trade deficit with China has been increasing since 2020-21 when it was USD 44 billion. It was USD 85 billion in 2023-24.