Nirmala Sitharaman asks Tobacco Board chairman to go on leave

K Gopal was visiting Italy in the midst of instances of suicide by tobacco farmers

Union Commerce Ministry has asked Tobacco Board chairman K Gopal to proceed on leave until further orders after 'taking cognizance of his absence and his visit to Italy' in the midst of instances of suicide by tobacco farmers.

Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took the decision in this regard yesterday after reviewing the situation, according to a press release issued by the Andhra Pradesh government.

The minister also reviewed that out of 172 million kgs of tobacco in Andhra Pradesh, till September 14, 2015, about 142.6 million kgs have been lifted by the trade.

"The Commerce Ministry has directed Tobacco Board to take immediate steps for facilitating the disposal of balance quantity of 30 million kgs by the end of September 2015," the press release said.

The release also said that the minister would be visiting the families of farmers who committed suicide on Friday, it said.