Tobacco Board Chairman K Gopal has been asked to proceed on leave with immediate effect until further orders by the Commerce Department for showing ‘lack of sensitivity’ towards farmers’ suicides and travelling overseas in the midst of crisis.
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reviewed the situation plaguing tobacco growers on Tuesday and directed Tobacco Board to facilitate the disposal of balance quantity of 30 million kg (that had not yet found buyers) by month-end.
“The minister took cognisance of the absence of Chairman, Tobacco Board and his visit to Italy in the midst of this crisis which shows his lack of sensitivity to the farmers’ issues. He has been asked to proceed on leave with immediate effect until further orders,” a government release said.
The Commerce Department is taking immediate steps to put a senior officer in additional charge as the Chairman of the Board.
A number of tobacco farmers have committed suicide recently in the country allegedly because of mounting debt and a fall in demand.
Last Friday, large numbers of tobacco farmers, carrying the body of a farmer who committed suicide, staged a protest in front of the Tobacco Board office in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh. The farmers reportedly accused the Tobacco Board of colluding with tobacco companies at the cost of farmers’ interests.