About 95% of the firecrackers in India are produced in Sivakasi, a town in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu.
About 95% of the firecrackers in India are produced in Sivakasi, a town in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu. The firecracker industry is worth around Rs 6,000 crore a year and employs more than 8 lakh workers directly and indirectly. However, the workers in this industry are going through a very tough situation since the latest ban on firecrackers by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). This is an added burden on the workers who are already in distress due to the pandemic induced lockdown, demonetisation, improper implementation of GST and ban by the Supreme Court couple of years back in the name of pollution. NewsClick interviewed the workers in Sivakasi to find out their ground situation.