Yogi govt allows sale of paan masala, stationery

Lucknow :  The Yogi government has lifted the ban on the manufacture and sale of 'paan masala' in Uttar Pradesh. The sale of 'gutka' and tobacco, however, will not be allowed.

Commissioner Food Safety and Drug Administration Anita Singh has issued the order saying that the exemption is for plain paan masala. The ban on the manufacture, storage and sale of tobacco and nicotine-free pan masala/gutkha in the state will continue unchanged.

The state government has also allowed stationery and book shops to open in the green and orange zones, maintaining social distancing norms.

Though many government and private schools have started giving online classes amid the lockdown, students claimed the unavailability of books was affecting the studies.

The sale of books and stationery has been welcomed by parents and students who said that online classes, in the absence of books, were making studying difficult for them.

"We have been getting queries from parents on how students can study without books. The concrete studies can start only when students have books," said Rita Kaushal, a teacher in a local secondary school.