on july 3,50 Filipino ngos demanded that endosulfan should be banned. This came after a passenger ship

Pesticides thrusted on unsuspecting farmers the recent agriculture input subsidy scam in Rajasthan may not seem big in terms of the money involved. But it has huge repercussions. Farmers were indiscriminately distributed specific chemicals to be used in crops for which these chemicals have not been recommended by the Union agriculture ministry. It is clear that farmers are being forced to

locusts move in swarms to save their butts. Literally, say researchers from the us, the uk and Australia. They are a menace for crops, because they move around in swarms. But their collective movement is hardly a sign of unity. The fact is there is a constant threat of attack from those approaching from behind; this gives the swarms their forward thrust, says the study published in the May

the Baden-W

Mango trees in Malda district, West Bengal, were known for honey bees and were the source of mango honey. Malda beekeepers say honey bees have started avoiding mango trees because of large-scale use of pesticides; they have now shifted to mustard plants.

carp, the freshwater fish species, are going blind in Punjab. The reason, a study reveals, is a pesticide used in rice fields nearby. Monocrotophos, the pesticide, causes a cataract-like condition reducing the economic value of the fish, said Punjab University researchers who carried out the study. The study was initiated after fish farmers from Patiala and Sangrur districts took their complaint

This paper estimates and compares the paid-out cost of cultivation of wheat in India, the most state-protected crop, during the input subsidy regime of the 1970s and 1980s and after its abolition in the 1990s, when economic reforms were initiated. The study uses the valuable time series information collected as part of the "comprehensive scheme' of the ministry of agriculture.

punjab has finally made cancer-registry compulsory in the state. Despite numerous scientific reports revealing the public health crisis in the state, the government had obstinately resisted any redress mechanism. The recent decision comes in the wake of two new scientific reports. One shows that pesticides are damaging genes of farmers who spray them, often leading to mutations and cancers.

faced with increasing scientific evidence of pesticides-induced health disorders, the Punjab government has decided to begin a cancer registry programme. Adding to numerous health studies, two

This article reflects on issues governing pesticides safe and sound management in India, various international agreements to which India is a party and the avenues of improvement in the regulatory framework.

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