Cabinet approves Pesticide Management Bill 2020

On February 12, 2020 the Union Cabinet approved to table the Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 in Parliament. The bill aims at making safe and effective pesticides for farmers. The main aim of the bill is to replace the Insecticides Act, 1968.

Key Features

The bill includes provisions to provide compensation when there is farm loss due to use of low-quality pesticides. The loss of farmers is to be paid using funds collected from the manufacturers. The information regarding the pesticides available in the market is to be made available in digital format. This will help farmers make the right choice.

Pesticides in India

Around 234 pesticides are used in India. Out of these 4 belongs to WHO’ Ia class pesticides, 15 belong to WHO Ib class pesticide. There are 76 pesticides that belong to WHO Class II pesticides. Also, only 40% of the pesticides used in the country are registered.

WHO classification

The WHO classifies pesticides based on the hazards created by them. They are as follows

  • Class Ia are extremely hazardous pesticides
  • Class Ib are highly hazardous pesticides
  • Class II are Moderately Hazardous pesticides
  • Class III are Slightly Hazardous pesticides

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