‘Tobacco exports declined during COVID’
The Hindu
‘Tobacco industry in slowdown due to curbs on smoking and consumption’
Export of tobacco and tobacco products from India had declined in the wake of uncertainties caused due to COVID-19 pandemic such as lockdown restrictions, logistic problems, reduced frequency of shipping lines and increased freight rates, Union Minister of State for Commerce Anupriya Patel told the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
Replying to an unstarred question by BJP MP G.V.L. Narasimha Rao, she said delay in confirmation of orders had led to decline in exports. “Tobacco industry is in overall slowdown mode globally due to increasing restrictions being placed on smoking and tobacco consumption,” explained the Minister in a written reply, a copy of which was made available to The Hindu here by the MP.
In 2011, the Karnataka government announced that five botanical gardens will be developed on the lines of the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru across the State. But according to the latest developments, there will only be four such gardens as the Horticulture Department is most likely to drop the project that was supposed to come up in Chikkaballapura district.