Kolkata: The jute sector has returned to normalcy with over 70 per cent workers joining work on unlock day 2 as most of the jute mills in the state have started full-fledged production. "The process of opening the jute mills had started gradually from the third week of April. By the middle of May, more than 34 jute mills had become operational. With the gradual lifting of lockdown norms now the 53 jute mills have opened up. Production is normalising fast," said a senior official of the Labour department. The jute mill owners have provided masks to their employees. Sanitisation tunnel has been installed in several jute mills. The workers are entering the mills after washing their hands with soap. Body temperature is also being checked through thermal guns while entering the mills. "The district administration along with the police is keeping a hawk-eye on whether the norms of social distancing are being maintained," said the official. A jute mill owner in Howrah said that some workers have cited their inability to join work with their residences being located in containment zones. Most of the jute mills in the state are located in four districts including North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and South 24 Parganas. There are several containment zones in all these districts. As many as 3 lakh peoples livelihood is directly related to the functioning of the jute mills while another 40 lakh are jute farmers in the state. Union Textile minister Smriti Irani on April 13 had requested the state government to allow the basic minimum number of jute mills to start manufacturing or supply of jute bags for packaging of food grains of Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) to help ease procurement operations of the Government at this critical juncture. Again on April 15, Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles Ravi Capoor has written to Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha requesting him to issue necessary instructions to the jute mills across the state to start operation for the production of jute bags. So far 70 per cent supply of jute to different parts of the country happens from the state. The mills were closed down soon after the first phase of lockdown was announced.

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