Lok Sabha Question No. 716 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-25
Subject: Spraying of Pesticides
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shankar Lalwani, Bharatiben Dhirubhai Shyal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 716 ANSWERED ON 25 TH  JULY, 2023

## SPRAYING OF PESTICIDES

## 716.  SHRI SHANKAR LALWANI:

DR. BHARATIBEN DHIRUBHAI SHIYAL:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:-

(a) whether the Government has set any standards for spraying of pesticides on foods;

(b) if so, the extent to which the pesticides sprayed on food is affecting the health of human beings;

(c)  whether any research is being conducted on such pesticides which do not affect the human life;

(d)  if so, the details thereof; and

(e)  the details of the action taken on the companies producing highly toxic pesticides during the last five years, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री ( SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR )

(a) & (b): Pesticides being inherently toxic substances are registered for use in the country  by  the  Registration  Committee  (RC)  constituted  under  section  5  of  the Insecticides Act, 1968 (the Act). RC, only after evaluating and satisfying itself about the  safety  and  efficacy  of  the  pesticides,  grants  registration.  RC  approves  the standards for use of pesticides by prescribing its dosages, crops on which it is to be used, precautionary measures to be taken while using it, optimal re-entry period after each application of pesticides etc. on Label and Leaflets. Use of registered pesticides as  per  Label  and  Leaflets  do  not  pose  any  harm  to  human  beings,  animals,  and environment and living organisms other than pests.

(c) & (d): The Registration Committee, while registering the pesticides for use in the country evaluates their safety and efficacy based on the field trials conducted at State Agricultural Universities/ICAR institutes and lab studies conducted at NABL

/ISO:17025/ and GLP accredited laboratories to make available safe and efficacious pesticides to the farmers to  protect the agricultural crops and also for public health. (e):   As per the Insecticides Act, any person desiring to manufacture any insecticide is required to obtain registration certificate from the Registration Committee. In the Act under section 21, Insecticide Inspectors appointed by the Central or State Governments have been vested with powers to search premises, seize documents, stop distribution or sale of insecticides and take insecticide samples for analysis. Such analyses  are  carried  out  by  the  Insecticide  Analysts  appointed  by  Central  or  State Governments. Offences  related  to  import,  manufacture  or  sale  of  'misbranded'  insecticides, which  include  use  of  deceptive  or  faulty  labels,  use  of  improper  packaging,  higher toxicity  or  counterfeiting  of the  product etc., are  punishable  with imprisonment up to two years, or with fine between Rs. 10,000 to 50,000, or with both under section 29 of the Act. During the last 5 years for the period from  2018-19 to 2022-23,  a total of 3346 firms  have  been  prosecuted  who  were found  involved  in  the  manufacture,  sale  and illegal import of sub-standard/misbranded pesticides and in 160 cases the firms have been  convicted  by  the  Hon'ble  Court  after  finding  guilty.  The  state-wise  details  of action taken on misbranded pesticides during last five years is enclosed as Annexure-

I.

|    | State/UT          | 2018-19              | 2018-19           | details of action taken on 2019-20   | details of action taken on 2019-20   | misbranded pesticides 2020-21   | misbranded pesticides 2020-21   | 2021-22 2022-23      | 2021-22 2022-23   |                      |                   |
|----|-------------------|----------------------|-------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|----------------------|-------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
|    |                   | Prosecution Launched | Accused convicted | Prosecution Launched                 | Accused convicted                    | Prosecution Launched            | Accused convicted               | Prosecution Launched | Accused convicted | Prosecution Launched | Accused convicted |
| 1  | Andhra Pradesh    | 101                  | -                 | 83                                   | 0                                    | -                               | -                               | 0                    | 0                 | 0                    | 0                 |
| 2  | Arunachal Pradesh | -                    | -                 | 0                                    | -                                    | -                               | -                               | 0                    | 0                 | -                    | -                 |
| 3  | Assam             | -                    | -                 | -                                    | -                                    | -                               | -                               | 0                    | 4                 | 0                    | 0                 |
| 4  | Bihar             | NR                   | -                 | 5                                    | --                                   | -                               | -                               | 0                    | 0                 | 1                    | 0                 |
| 5  | Chhattisgarh      | -                    | -                 | 11                                   | -                                    | -                               | -                               | 0                    | 0                 | 0                    | 0                 |
| 6  | Delhi             | -                    | -                 | -                                    | -                                    | -                               | -                               | 0                    | 0                 | 2                    | 0                 |
| 7  | Goa               | -                    | -                 | -                                    | -                                    | -                               | -                               | 0                    | 0                 | -                    | -                 |
| 8  | Gujarat           | 146                  | 5                 | 72                                   | 5                                    | 10                              | -                               | 55                   | 68                |                      | 12                |
| 9  | Haryana           | 58                   | 4                 | 76                                   | 8                                    | 20                              | 4                               | 21                   | 0                 | 35                   | 0                 |
| 10 | Himachal Pradesh  | -                    | -                 | 0                                    | -                                    | 0                               | 0                               | 0                    | 0                 | 0                    | 0                 |
| 11 | Jammu Kashmir     | 20                   | 5                 | 36                                   | 10                                   | 11                              | 1                               | 26                   | 7                 | 4                    | 3                 |
| 12 | Jharkhand         | -                    | -                 | -                                    | -                                    | -                               | -                               | 0                    | 0                 | 1                    | 0                 |
| 13 | Karnataka         | 8                    | -                 | 8                                    | -                                    | -                               | -                               | 0                    | 0                 | 97                   | 0                 |
| 14 | Kerala            | 6                    | -                 | 0                                    | -                                    | -                               | -                               | 0                    | 0                 | 0                    | 0                 |
| 15 | Lakshadweep       | -                    | -                 | -                                    | -                                    | -                               | -                               | 0                    | 0                 |                      |                   |
| 16 | Madhya Pradesh    | 2                    | -                 | 4                                    | -                                    | 10                              | -                               | 8                    | 0                 | 3                    | 0                 |

| 17   | Maharashtra   | 261   | -   | 95   | 2   | 10   | -   |   123 |   0 | 82   | 0   |
|------|---------------|-------|-----|------|-----|------|-----|-------|-----|------|-----|
| 18   | Manipur       | -     | -   | -    | -   | -    | -   |     0 |   0 | 0    | 0   |
| 19   | Meghalaya     | -     | -   | -    | -   | -    | -   |     0 |   0 | 0    | 0   |
| 20   | Mizoram       | 0     | -   | 0    | -   | -    | -   |     0 |   0 | 0    | 0   |
| 21   | Odisha        | 1     | -   | 1    | 1   | -    | -   |     0 |   0 | 0    | 0   |
| 22   | Pondicherry   | 0     | -   | 0    | -   | -    | -   |     0 |   0 | -    |     |
| 23   | Punjab        | 24    | -   | 2    | -   | 21   | -   |     5 |   0 | 8    | 0   |
| 24   | Rajasthan     | 12    | -   | 1    | -   | 3    | -   |    28 |   0 | 2    | 0   |
| 25   | Sikkim        | -     | -   | -    | -   | -    | -   |     0 |   0 | 0    | 0   |
| 26   | Tamil Nadu    | 30    | -   | 14   | -   | 7    | -   |     0 |   0 | 79   | 0   |
| 27   | Telangana     | 23    | -   | 3    | -   | -    | -   |     0 |   0 | 0    | 0   |
| 28   | Tripura       | -     | -   | 0    | -   | -    | -   |     0 |   0 | 0    | 0   |
| 29   | Uttarakhand   | 16    | -   | 10   | -   | 19   | -   |    16 |   0 | 16   | 0   |
| 30   | Uttar Pradesh | 475   | --  | 206  | 17  | 203  | 19  |   250 |   7 | 230  | 40  |
| 31   | West Bengal   | 8     | -   | 0    | -   | -    | -   |     0 |   0 | 0    | 0   |
|      | CII           | 14    | -   | 10   | -   | 7    | 2   |     8 |  01 | 15   | 3   |
|      | Total         | 1205  | 14  | 637  | 43  | 321  | 26  |   540 |  19 | 643  | 58  |

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