July 25, 2014
AITC MP Vivek Gupta raises the issue of sick jute industry in Rajya Sabha
Trinamool MP Vivek Gupta today made aSpecial Mention in Rajya Sabha on the jute industry in Bengal. The juteindustry employs over 2.5 lakh people, specially belonging to the lower strataof the society. “The discontent of the workers is alarming and growing everyday. The industry faces a very difficultsituation over the last three years primarily due to synthetic packaging, cheapjute from Nepal and Bangladesh and inconsistency in supply of raw jute. Thisindustry is now in doldrums” lamented Mr Gupta.
“The Jute Packaging Materials Act, 1987supports the survival of jute industry by providing provisioning of compulsorypackaging of grains, 20% of sugar produced in FCI produced in India. However it is not being followed in truespirit. The large orders of thegovernment to the jute mills two years ago – I don`t know for whatever reasonsbest known to the government at that time – was given when they knew the jutemills could never supply the quantity because capacity was not there. This was in the following year used as anexcuse to dilute the jute packaging order and substantially slash the ordersgiven to the jute mills. They have nowno orders and forced to shut down the units leading to social unrest andhardship to mill workers” he added.
To prevent such a scenario fromdeteriorating any further it is urgent need of the hour that the centralgovernment must add potato and other items in JPMA i.e. Jute PackagingMaterials Act and rescue the jute sector, suggested Mr Gupta. “I urge the government to provide trainingand focus on skill development along with technology modernization” he said.
