Chennai: Around 3,000 beedi workers have demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to go ahead with proposed amendments to Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution Act (COTPA), 2003.
“While the beedi industry is already fully compliant with the existing, stipulated regulations of COTPA, to be compliant with the new, harsher amendments proposed to COTPA 2003, is extremely challenging, if not impossible, for a small scale, hand-made, cottage industry,” they said.
In a statement, they said the imposition of these proposed amendments and restrictions on this totally natural, indigenous, ‘Hand-Made in India’ product will have a severe and immediate effect on the livelihoods it sustains across the remotest parts of India, where there is no viable alternative employment currently.
“These new provisions of COTPA may well cause the closure of the beedi industry, and drive over 30 million workers into unemployment, forced migrations, and extreme poverty.”