Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that all jute mills in the state will start functioning with 15 percent manpower to work with all precautionary measures.
The Centre wrote to the state government urging to allow 18 selected jute mills. Banerjee said: "It would be discrimination if only 18 mills reopen. So we decided to open all the jute mills in the state. But all protections have to be provided to workers and they have to work maintaining social distancing."
She further said: "Union Textile minister Smriti Irani had contacted us. Punjab and Telangana governments have also communicated stating the need of jute bags as rabi crop is being harvested. However, there will be constant monitoring at the jute mills to ensure that all precautionary measures are getting followed."
The Chief Minister has also stated that brick kilns in the state will start functioning as well and here too, 15 percent of the total manpower that is available locally can be engaged.
She has also allowed functioning of small scale industries following necessary norms. Permission for the same has to be sought by sending e-mails at cd-westbengal@nic.in.
In the letter dated April 13, Irani had requested to allow "required basic minimum number of jute mills to start manufacturing or supply of jute bags for packaging of food grains of Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) to help ease procurement operations of the government at this critical juncture."
Again on April 15, Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles Ravi Capoor has written to Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, requesting him to issue necessary instructions to the jute mills across the state to start operation for production of jute bags.
Jute bags are necessary for packaging of food grains. The state has been asked to put 25 percent of the employees of the jute mills on roster basis and start production as soon as possible.
The jute mills in the state are presently closed due to lockdown as a preventive measure to combat the spread of COVID-19. Bengal has around 70 jute mills and 70 percent supply of jute to different parts of the country happens from the state.
"…Jute and Jute Textiles are essential commodities under Essential Commodities Act 1955.Based on the Jute Packaging Act 1987, presently there is 100 percent jute packaging of food grains. It is observed that as per the latest supply plan of the department of Food and Public Distribution, the jute industry will be required to supply around 6 lakh bales of jute bags including the backlog within May 2020, which may not materialise if the mills are not allowed to resume production immediately," the letter stated.
Jute sacking is essential for packaging of paddy procurement for the months of April & May for the department of Food & Public Distribution.
The Central government has also allowed selected permitted activities with effect from April 20 to mitigate the hardship of the common people. The jute industry has been allowed to operate with staggered shifts and social distancing.