New Delhi, Jul 15 (KNN) The government held high level consultations with different stakeholders in the backdrop of the jute industry coming under demand pressure from different industries like plastics.

The Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Mines and Steel, Narendra Singh Tomar, chaired a Tripartite Committee Meeting on Jute Industry at Shram Shakti Bhawan here yesterday.

The meeting was attended by Secretary, Labour and Employment, Gauri Kumar and other senior officials of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The tripartite meeting had representatives from the Ministries of Textiles, Commerce and Industry and Finance, and saw enthusiastic participation from Trade Unions across the country.
 
“In line with the Government’s motto of achieving ‘growth with a human face’, the tripartite meeting served as a cauldron of ideas and suggestions, aimed at boosting the production and consumption of the ‘golden fiber’ in the country, while also keeping in mind the concerns of jute workers, requirements of employers and priorities of the government,” Ministry of Labour and Employment said in a release.

Tomar invited suggestions and solutions from all participants in the areas of policy, implementation, consumption, production, productivity, labour welfare and exports.
As a major cash crop grown in eastern India, the organized Jute industry supports the livelihood of nearly 40 lakh farm families, and provides direct and indirect employment to over 4 lakh workers.

Globally, India is the largest producer and second largest exporter of this eco-friendly product, which finds wide application in the packaging industry. Of late, demand for jute has been under pressure owing to increasing competition from plastics, and subsidized imports in a globalised environment. (KNN/SD)