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Showing posts with label Monocrotophos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monocrotophos. Show all posts
Insecticides (Prohibition) Order, 2023 bans Dicofol, Dinocap, Methomyl, Monocrotophos
Written By mediavigil on Monday, October 09, 2023 | 3:30 AM
In a significant development, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Welfare has issued "a draft order Banning of Insecticides" October 3, 2023 which has been published in the Gazette of India on October 6. The Insecticides (Prohibition) Order, 2023 will come into force when it is notified.
The government had constituted an Expert Committee on 8th July, 2013 to examine the continued use or otherwise of neo-nicotinoid insecticides registered in India. The mandate of the Committee was further expanded on 19th August, 2013, to review sixty-six insecticides which were banned or restricted or withdrawn in other countries but continue to be registered for domestic use in India. After detailed examination, the Committee submitted its report to the government on the 9th December, 2015. This report was referred to the Registration Committee and the Registration Committee, which submitted their recommendations to the government.
The Department issued an order dated 14th October 2016, conveying the approval for implementation of the recommendations of the Registration Committee. The said Expert Committee had recommended continuing the use of the twenty seven insecticides as specified in the schedule to this notification and the same to be reviewed after completion of the recommended studies. This was considered by Registration Committee and it submitted recommendations to the government.
The government, after consultation with the Registration Committee and duly considering their report with regard to status of submission of recommended studies, data and safety concerns, was satisfied that the use of twenty seven insecticides as specified in the schedule to this notification are likely to involve risk to human beings or animals as to render it expedient or necessary to take immediate action.
The government, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 27 of the Insecticides Act, 1968 (46 of 1968) had published a draft Order for Banning of Insecticides vide notification number S.O. 1512(E), dated 18th May, 2020, in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part-II, Section-3, Sub-section (ii) and invited objections and suggestions from all persons likely to be affected thereby, before the expiry of the period of 45 days from the date on which the copies of the Official Gazette in which the said notification was published which were made available to the public.
The copies of the said Gazette notification were made available to the public on the 18th May, 2020. The objections or suggestions received in respect of the said draft Order were referred to an Expert Committee constituted for the purpose which were duly considered by the said Expert Committee. The government, after considering the report of the Expert Committee and after consultation with the Registration Committee, set up under the Insecticides Act, 1968 (46 of 1968), is satisfied that the use of three insecticides involves health hazards and risk to human beings and animals due to non-availability of data on safety and efficacy.
The said draft Order for Banning of Insecticides Order, 2020 was published vide notification number S.O. 1512(E), dated 18th May, 2020. It was challenged in various High Courts.
The High court of Rajasthan had stayed the implementation of the said rules vide interim Order dated 21st July, 2020, relating to Prohibition of Insecticides till further Order in the case. Thereafter, the High Court of Rajasthan, issued direction through an Order dated 18th January, 2023, in the matter of S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 7474/2020 filed by Narayan Singh Rathore, vacated the interim Order dated 21st July, 2020.
The Draft Order, which the government proposes to make, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 27 read with section 28 and sub-section (1) of section 36 of the Insecticides Act, 1968 , was published vide notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare) vide number S.O. 701(E), dated 15th February, 2023, inviting objections or suggestions from all persons likely to be affected thereby, before the expiry of the period of thirty days from the date on which the copies of the Gazette of India containing the said notification were made available to the public.
The copies of the said Gazette notification were made available to the public on the 15th February, 2023. The objections and suggestions received in respect of the said notification were duly considered by the government.
Therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 27 read with section 28 of the Insecticides Act, 1968 (46 of 1968), the government after considering the recommendations of the Expert Committee and in consultation with the Registration Committee made the Insecticides (Prohibition) Order, 2023. It shall come into force on the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
It provides for prohibition of certain insecticides. All the certificates of registration granted under section 9 of the Act, stands cancelled and sale, distribution or use is prohibited of the insecticides as specified in the Schedule to this Order from the date provided under column (3(.
The Registration Committee shall revoke the certificate of registration granted for the insecticides specified in the said Schedule. If any person who holds the certificate of registration fails to return the said certificate to the Registration Committee, referred under clause (2) of this Order, within a period of three months, appropriate action shall be taken under the provisions contained in the said Act.
The certificate of registration for the insecticides, granted under section 9 of the Act, as provided in the Schedule shall be deemed to be cancelled from the date specified under column (3) of the said Schedule.
Every State Government shall take all such steps under the provisions of the Act and the rules framed thereunder, as it considers necessary for the implementation of this Order in the State.
The Schedule of he Insecticides (Prohibition) Order, 2023 provides a "List of Prohibited Insecticides". These include 1. Dicofol, 2. Dinocap, 3. Methomyl and 4. Monocrotophos.
It is High time Union government banned the remaining pesticides listed in the 2020 draft order which had proposed ban on 27 pesticides in the light of the recommendations of the Report of of the Expert Committee and the Registration Committee. The report found that the use of these pesticides subjects human beings, animals and environment to harmful exposures.
18 pesticides banned, 48 pesticides like Monocrotophos, Paraquat Dichloride, Glyphosate yet to be banned
Written By mediavigil on Friday, January 13, 2017 | 2:01 AM
ToxicsWatch
To
Shri Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia
Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
Government of India
New Delhi
Date: January 13,
2017
Subject- Appreciation
for your decision to ban 18 pesticides & demand for phase out of
organophosphate-containing insecticides like Monocrotophos as part of the remaining 48 pesticides whose use cannot be justified
Sir,
This
is to express our appreciation for the Notification dated December 15, 2016
published in the Gazette of India by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare (Department of Agriculture, Co-operation and Farmers Welfare)
that announces your decision to ban manufacture, import, formulate, transport,
sell and use of 18 of the 66 pesticides which are still registered for domestic
use in India but banned or restricted in one or more other countries due to
health and environmental concern.
While
we welcome the announcement of ban on hazardous pesticides like Benomyl,
Carbary, Diazinon, Fenarimol, Fenthion, Linuron, Methoxy Ethyl Mercury Chloride
(MEMC), Methyl Parathion, Sodium Cyanide, Thiometon, Tridemorph, Trifluralin,
Alachlor, Dichlorvos, Phorate, Phosphamidon, Triazophos and Trichlorfon, we submit
that the non-inclusion of Paraquat Dichloride and Glyphosate, highly hazardous
herbicides in the decision is a significant omission which must be promptly
remedied. As you aware Paraquat Dichloride has been banned in the State of
Kerala but it continues to be used in the remaining parts of our country. It is
noteworthy that Paraquat Dichloride is a candidate for the Prior Informed
Consent (PIC) list of UN’s Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent
Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International
Trade. The use of Paraquat Dichloride is banned in Switzerland, which the home
country of Syngenta, the main producer of Paraquat Dichloride since 1989 due to
its high acute toxicity for humans. It is banned or disallowed in some 32
countries due to its adverse health effects. Glyphosate has been classified as
a carcinogenic chemical by World Health Organisation (WHO).
We
demand phase out of the remaining 48 pesticides as well because their continued
use cannot be scientifically and medically justified. As a best scientific
practice to safeguard the health of Indians government should initiate a
process to review all other pesticides registered for use in our country for
their adverse impact of environmental and occupational health in rigorous
coordination with ministries of health, environment, consumer affairs and
chemicals in order to come up with specific remedial actions.
Pursuant
to our letter dated September 21, 2016 in the matter of failure of Central
Insecticide Board in Bihar insecticide tragedy and phase out of
organophosphate-containing insecticides like Monocrotophos, we submit that
similar action is required for organophosphate-containing insecticides and all
the 48 pesticides.
You may recollect
that Monocrotophos, the insecticide was responsible for the Mid Day Meal
tragedy on July 16, 2013 at the Dharma Sati Primary School Mashrak, Chapra in
Saran district, Bihar and the failure of Central Insecticide Board. We are
saddened to note that instead of recommending ban on this toxic chemical Dr.
Anupam Verma headed expert committee has unwisely allowed its continued use by
stating that its status is “to be reviewed again in 2018, after completion of
the recommended studies”.
In a significant
and related development, on August, 29, 2016, Shri Vijay Anand Tiwari,
Additional District Judge II of Saran (Chhapra) Court, Bihar in a 49 page long
verdict sentenced Mina Devi, Gandaman primary school principal to 10 and 7
years imprisonment in connection with the 2013 midday meal tragedy, in which 23
children had died after eating soyabean vegetable. The court makes mention
of Monocrotophos, the pesticide in question and underlines that the
food that caused the death of 23 students was contaminated with this pesticide.
The verdict is available at
Although Gandaman primary school principal has been
sentenced to 10 years jail term under IPC sections of 304 (culpable homicide
not amounting to murder) and seven years under section 308 (criminal
negligence) and fined her with Rs 2.5 lakh under Section 304 and Rs 1.25 under
Section 308, the fact remains the manufacturers, sellers and regulators of
pesticide have remained out of the scanner so far. The poisonous pesticide in
question was kept at home for spraying on sugar cane crops. The institutional
responsibility for availability of such a toxic substance lies with the
regulator. In such cases manufacturers and sellers should also be held
accountable.
It is high time our country stopped
transboundary movement of hazardous chemicals by creating an inventory of
hazardous chemicals besides conducting an environmental and occupational health
audit along with the ministry of health to ascertain the body burden through
investigation of industrial chemicals, pollutants and pesticides in umbilical
cord blood. In one such study in the US, of the 287 chemicals detected in
umbilical cord blood, 180 were known to cause cancer in humans or animals, 217
are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or
abnormal development in animal tests.
Absence of such studies in India does not mean that a similar situation does
not exist in India. Until and unless we diagnose the current unacknowledged
crisis, how will he regulatory bodies predict, prevent and provide remedy.
Currently, our country is a victim of the unfolding Lawrence Summers Principle.
Lawrence Summers, former director of the White House's National Economic
Council for US President Barack Obama as a World Bank chief economist, sent a
memo to one of his subordinates justifying transfer of harmful chemicals from
developed countries to developing countries.
Our decision makers should factor in these malevolent motives of
international financial institutions, foreign companies and governments.
We submit that our ecological space is
a living entity but it is faced with the cannibalistic propensities of
illegitimately totalitarian scientism which is married with political
consensus. Its linear, piecemeal and closed technological thinking fails to
acknowledge that no unlimited development is possible in the nature of things.
We express our support to you in
resisting the influence of lobbying through their objections or suggestions by industry
associations which give priority to profit over any human and environmental
cost.
In view of the
above facts and the ongoing food chain poisoning, we earnestly and solemnly
urge you to intervene urgently to get to the bottom of the insecticide tragedy
to take the issue of the tragedy to its logical end by banning
organophosphate-containing insecticides like Monocrotophos, Paraquat Dichloride, Glyphosate and other pesticides to protect public health of the present and future
generations.
Thanking You
Yours faithfully
Dr Gopal Krishna
Editor, ToxicsWatch
Mb: 09818089660, 08227816731
Cc
Shri Radha Mohan
Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture
Chairman, Central Insecticides Board,
Union Ministry of Agriculture
Bihar insecticide tragedy, Monocrotophos not banned as yet
Written By mediavigil on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 | 12:39 AM
ToxicsWatch Alliance
To
Shri Radha Mohan
Singh
Union Minister of
Agriculture
Government of
India
New Delhi
Date: September 21,
2016
Subject- Failure
of Central Insecticide Board in Bihar
insecticide tragedy & phase out
of organophosphate-containing insecticides like Monocrotophos
Sir,
With reference to Monocrotophos,
the insecticide that was responsible for the Mid Day Meal tragedy on July 16,
2013 at the Dharma Sati Primary School Mashrak, Chapra in Saran district, Bihar
and the failure of Central Insecticide Board, I
submit that instead of recommending ban on this toxic chemical Dr. Anupam Verma
headed expert committee has unwisely allowed its continued use by stating that
its status is “to
be reviewed again in 2018, after completion of the recommended studies”.
This came to light from the reply of
Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in the Lok Sabha on
July 19, 2016 while he was informing the Parliament about expert committee’s
findings.
I submit that this
issue is directly related to widespread availability insecticides and absence
of method to deal with obsolete insecticides and their containers which are
contaminated with insecticides has remained off the radar so far.
I submit that
under Insecticides Act, 1968, Union Ministry of Agriculture is supposed to
regulate the import, manufacture, sale, transport,
distribution and use of insecticides with a view to prevent risks to human
beings and animals and for other matters connected therewith since 1971.
I submit that
Central Insecticides Board, established under Section 4 of the Insecticides Act
is supposed to advise the Central Government and State Governments on technical
matters arising out of the administration of this Act and to carry out the
other functions assigned to the Board by or under this Act on issues like “the
risk to human being or animals involved in the use of insecticides and the
safety measures necessary to prevent such risk” and “the
manufacture, sale, storage, transport and distribution of insecticides with a
view to ensure safety to human beings or animals.” In pursuance of this mandate
it is the responsibility of Dr Jagdish Prasad, Director General of Health Services, Union Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare who is ex-officio Chairman of the Central Insecticide Board to
intervene and guide the State Government.
I submit that the Central Insecticide Board appears guilty of
dereliction of duty because although the insecticide tragedy took place on July
16, he has failed to act in compliance of his responsibility.
I submit that
there is a crying need for Agriculture Ministry and Pollution Control Boards to
ensure inventorization, proper disposal of obsolete pesticides and contaminated
containers.
I submit that
Organophosphorous, a chemical used as an insecticide has been identified and
found to be responsible for deaths and diseases of school children.
Organophosphate-containing insecticides include parathion, monocrotophos, malathion,
methyl parathion, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, dichlorvos, phosmet, fenitrothion,
tetrachlorvinphos, azamethiphos, and azinphos methyl.
Besides Monocrotophos,
26 other pesticides which are to be reviewed for banning in 2018 include Acephate,
Atrazine, Benfuracarb, Butachlor, Captan,
Carbendazim, Carbofuran, Chlorpyriphos, Deltamethrin, Dicofol,
Dimethoate, Dinocap, Diuron, 2,4-D,
Malathion, Mancozeb, Methomyl, Monocrotophos, Oxyfluorfen, Pendimethalin,
Quinalphos, Sulfosulfuron, Thiodicarb, Thiophanate methyl, Thiram, Zineb and
Ziram
I submit that there
is a need for a scientific mechanism to destroy the six pesticides namely Alachlor,
Dichlorvos, Phorate, Phosphamidon, Triazophos and Trichlorfon which are listed
for phase out by 2020. The CIB must be asked to announce its phase out plan so that
present and future generations are not affected by its adverse legacy.
I submit that the recommendation
for ban on 13 pesticides namely, Benomyl, Carbaryl, DDT, Diazinon, Fenarimol,
Fenthion, Linuron, MEMC, Methyl Parathion, Sodium Cyanide, Thiometon,
Tridemorph and Trifluralin is step in the right direction but the government
should announce the ban without any further delay. This too requires a scientific
mechanism for destruction to ensure that no one suffers from its continued
existence in form or the other.
I submit that
according to International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), WHO which works
to establish the scientific basis for the sound management of chemicals, the
ingestion of 120 mg monocrotophos can be fatal. (Reference: IPCS, 1993).
I submit that
HILCRON commonly known as monocrotophos has been detected in the probe by the
Bihar Government’s agency. This is manufactured Hindustan Insecticides Limited,
which is sunder Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers. Other
manufacturers of monocrotophos include Hindustan Ciba Geigy Ltd, Bharat
Pulverizing Mills Ltd., Lupin, National Organic Chemical Industries Ltd,
Sudarshan and United Phosphorus. Their stringent regulation merits your urgent
attention.
I submit that
monocrotophos is used for control of a broad spectrum of pests including
sucking, chewing and boring insects and spider mites on cotton, paddy,
sugarcane, vegetables, ground nut, soya bean, tea, coffee etc.
As per WHO
classification based on oral toxicity, monocrotophos is highly hazardous. WHO
recommends that for the health and welfare of workers and the general
population, the handling and application of monocrotophos should be entrusted
only to competently supervised and well-trained applicators, who must follow
adequate safety measures and use the chemical according to good application
practices. It is clear that these recommendations have not been internalized by
regulatory agencies in India.
I submit that all
waste and contaminated material associated with this chemical should be considered
hazardous waste, according to FAO Guidelines on Prevention of Accumulation of
Obsolete Pesticide Stocks and The Pesticide Storage and Stock Control Manual.
I submit that your
agencies too should be involved in the probe to identify the name of the Organophosphate
insecticide involved and its manufacturer. The responsibility and liability of
this manufacturer must be fixed. The probe must recommend take back policy so
that these manufacturers have an Extended Producers Responsibility with regard
to its residual insecticides and their containers.
I submit that most
home uses of organophosphorus insecticides have been phased out in countries
like USA. The US Environmental Protection Agency lists the organophosphate
parathion as a possible human carcinogen. The World Health Organization,
Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and several environmental organisations have
sought a general and global ban on it. Its use is banned or restricted in 23
countries and its import is illegal in a total of 50 countries. Its use was
banned in the U.S. in 2000 and it has not been used since 2003. The usage of
such insecticides continues to be used because of the political patronage
enjoyed by the manufacturers of these insecticides.
I submit that your
ministry should initiate efforts to recall Organophosphorus pesticides, which
is responsible for about 200,000 deaths annually. Organophosphorus pesticides
cause poisoning by inhibiting release of enzymes.
I submit that
Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee, Union Ministry of
Agriculture has dealt with issues related to pesticide poisoning in a very
non-serious manner so far. It has done nothing beyond asking the States to
“provide pesticide poisoning data (cases and deaths due to pesticides) as this
is an important aspect related to human health.”
I submit that
consumption of chemical pesticides in Bihar is matter of serious concern
because the state has the potential to be a leader in natural organic farming.
As per information available with Central Insecticides Board & Registration
Committee projected demand of chemical pesticides for the year 2010-11 was 1084
MT in Bihar. This included 530 MT and 554 MT Kharif and Rabi crops
respectively. The consumption of chemicals pesticides was 828 MT for the year
2009-10 inclusive of 374 MT for Kahrif and 454 Rabi crops. Consumption of
pesticides in Bihar was 850 MT during 2004-05.
In
a related development, on August, 29, 2016, Vijay Anand Tiwari, Additional District
Judge II of Saran (Chhapra) court in a 49 page long verdict sentenced Mina Devi,
Gandaman primary school principal to 10 and 7 years imprisonment in connection
with the 2013 midday meal tragedy, in which 23 children had died after eating
soyabean vegetable. The court
makes mention of Monocrotophos, the pesticide in question and underlines that the food that
caused the death of 23 students was contaminated with this pesticide. The
verdict is available at
Although
Gandaman primary school principal has been sentenced to 10 years jail term
under IPC sections of 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and seven
years under section 308 (criminal negligence) and fined her with Rs 2.5 lakh
under Section 304 and Rs 1.25 under Section 308, the fact remains the manufacturers,
sellers and regulators of pesticide have remained out of the scanner so far. The
poisonous pesticide in question was kept at home for spraying on sugar cane crops.
The institutional responsibility for availability of such a toxic substance
lies with the regulator. In such cases manufacturers and sellers should also be
held accountable.
I submit that
there are at least 5525 sale points for distribution of pesticides in Bihar. These
distributors should be made to take back the contaminated containers and the
residual insecticides. I submit that lessons from the insecticides
tragedy in Bihar should not be forgotten. This creates a compelling logic for
proper management of pre-existing insecticides, their containers and to
initiate steps to phase out organophosphates.
In view of the
above facts and the recent insecticide tragedy, I wish to seek your urgent
intervention to get to the bottom of the insecticide tragedy to take the issue
of the tragedy to its logical end by banning organophosphate-containing
insecticides like Monocrotophos to protect public health of the present and
future generations.
Thanking You
Yours faithfully
Dr Gopal Krishna
Director
ToxicsWatch
Alliance (TWA)
Mb: 09818089660,
08227816731
E-mail: 1715krishna@gmail.com
Web:
www.toxicswatch.org
Cc
Shri Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia, Union
Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
Shri Ramvichar Rai,
Minister of Agriculture, Government of Bihar
Chairman, Central Insecticides Board, Union Ministry of Agriculture