Why it is in news?

• 20 farmers die of pesticide poisoning in Maharashtra; over 1,800 affected

The Insecticides Act, 1968

• Pesticides play an important role in sustaining agricultural production, and in controlling vectors responsible for diseases but they can be toxic.
• Hence an effective regime to regulate the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution and use of insecticides with a view to preventing risk to human beings and animals is needed.
•  The Insecticides Act, 1968 was enacted to ensure this
• But its deficiencies  caught the eye of several Parliamentary Committees and stakeholders.
• These loopholes include a lack of clarity on qualification for manufactures, sellers, stockists and commercial pest-control operators

The Pesticides Management Bill of 2008

• Aims to reform the lacunae of 1968 Act.
• Intends to provide for an elaborate definition of pesticides to cover any substance of chemical or biological origin intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, mitigating or controlling any pest, including unwanted species of plants or animals, which will enable regulation of existing pesticides as well as new discoveries.
• Proposes to address all aspects of development, regulation and quality monitoring, production, management, packaging, labelling, distribution, handling, application, use and control, including post-registration activities and disposal of all types of pesticides.
• It would also define household pesticides-
• to prohibit their field applications and
• to enable delicensing of their retail sale for easy availability to the consumer.
• Provide for the effective and efficient working of the Central Pesticides Board and Registration Committee, fix tolerance limits of pesticides, detail the minimum qualification of licensees and accredit private laboratories to carry out any or all functions of the Central pesticides laboratory.
• Stringent punishments to check production and sale of misbranded, sub-standard and spurious pesticides
• Providing for the disposal of expired, sub-standard and spurious pesticides in an environment friendly and safe manner.