Pesticide Regulation and Management in India
Environment & Ecology
- PYQs8
- Articles1
Background
This concept is crucial for understanding the interplay between public health, environmental protection, agricultural practices, and governance in India. It highlights regulatory gaps, federalism challenges, and the socio-economic dimensions of chemical use, which are recurring themes in UPSC examinations.
India's pesticide regulation is primarily governed by the Insecticides Act, 1968, which aims to regulate the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution, and use of insecticides to prevent risks to human beings or animals. This framework addresses both agricultural productivity and public health concerns.
Facts & tables
- Primary Legislation
- The Insecticides Act, 1968, is the central law regulating pesticides, weedicides, and insecticides in India.
- State vs. Central Authority
- States can impose temporary bans (60+30 days) on pesticides, but permanent bans require action by the Central government, as highlighted by judicial interpretations.
- Paraquat Toxicity
- Paraquat is a highly toxic herbicide with no known antidote, causing severe and often fatal organ damage (lungs, kidneys, liver) upon ingestion.
- Usage Drivers & Challenges
- Economic factors like rising labor costs drive farmers to use cheaper weedicides; challenges include online availability, low awareness, and accidental/suicidal misuse.
| Challenge Area | Impact |
|---|---|
| Federalism & Authority | Conflict between state-level bans and central regulatory powers (e.g., Kerala High Court ruling). |
| Enforcement Gaps | Availability of banned/restricted chemicals through online platforms and informal channels. |
| Awareness & Safety | Low awareness among users about safe handling and the severe health risks of toxic chemicals. |
| Economic Pressures | Farmers' reliance on cheap, effective chemicals due to labor shortages and cost, despite health risks. |
| Type | Reference |
|---|---|
| Conceptual area | Agricultural Policy |
| Conceptual area | Environmental Governance |
| Conceptual area | Public Health |
| Body | Role |
|---|---|
| Parliament | Legislates |
| High Courts | Interprets law |
| Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) | Regulates |
| State Agriculture Departments | Implements |
Prelims angle
Prelims angle: Multi-statement analysis
Prelims angle: Factual recall
- Insecticides Act, 1968 is the primary law governing pesticides in India.
- States have limited power for temporary bans; central action is needed for permanent bans.
- Paraquat is a highly toxic weedicide with no antidote, causing severe organ failure.
- Challenges include online sales, low user awareness, and balancing agricultural utility with health risks.
- CIBRC regulates, state departments implement, and the judiciary interprets powers under the Act.
Check if created by Constitution or by Parliament.
| Year | Framing tags |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Factual recall, Institutional roles and functions |
| 2023 | Multi-statement analysis, Factual recall |
| 2023 | Multi-statement analysis, Factual recall |
| 2022 | Factual recall, Institutional roles and functions |
| 2020 | Multi-statement analysis, Factual recall |
| 2019 | Statement-based questions, Conceptual understanding |
| 2019 | Factual recall, Terminology-based question |
| 2018 | Multi-statement analysis, Institutional roles and functions |
Timeline
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Agricultural Policy
Conceptual area
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Environmental Governance
Conceptual area
-
Public Health
Conceptual area
-
Prelims 2018
Multi-statement analysis, Institutional roles and functions
-
Prelims 2019
Statement-based questions, Conceptual understanding
-
Prelims 2019
Factual recall, Terminology-based question
-
Prelims 2020
Multi-statement analysis, Factual recall
-
Prelims 2022
Factual recall, Institutional roles and functions
-
Prelims 2023
Multi-statement analysis, Factual recall
-
Prelims 2023
Multi-statement analysis, Factual recall
-
Prelims 2025
Factual recall, Institutional roles and functions
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The human cost of a deadly weed killer: banning of paraqua in Telangana
India's pesticide regulation, primarily under the Insecticides Act, 1968, faces significant challenges in managing highly toxic chemicals like paraquat. Issues include the division of regulatory authority between states and the Centre, enforcement against online sales, low user awareness, and balancing agricultural utility with severe public health and environmental risks.
See also
No related topics linked yet.
Past papers
2018–2025 · 8 questions
In the news
The human cost of a deadly weed killer: banning of paraqua in Telangana
India's pesticide regulation, primarily under the Insecticides Act, 1968, faces significant challenges in managing highly toxic chemicals like paraquat. Issues include the division of regulatory authority between states and the Centre, enforcement against online sales, low user awareness, and balancing agricultural utility with severe public health and environmental risks.
Try these PYQs
Consider the following statements:
1. 36% of India’s districts are classified as “overexploited” or critical” by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
2. CGWA was formed under the Environment (Protection) Act.
3. India has the largest area under groundwater irrigation in the world.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 is incorrect: As per the report National Compilation on Dynamic Groundwater Resources of India, 2017 of CGWA, out of the total 6881 assessment units (Blocks/Mandals/ Talukas) in the country, 1186 units in various States (17%) have been categorized as Over-Exploited, 313 units (5%) as Critical, and 972 units (14%) as Semi-Critical. Statement 2 is correct: The CGWA was established in 1997 under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to regulate and manage groundwater resources. Statement 3 is correct: India has the largest area under groundwater irrigation in the world. This is due to the country's heavy reliance on agriculture, which is predominantly rain-fed. Therefore, the correct answer is B. 2 and 3 only.
Consider the following statements:
Once the Central Government notifies an area as a 'Community Reserve'
1. The Chief Wildlife Warden of the State becomes the governing authority of such forest
2. hunting is not allowed in such area
3. people of such area are allowed to collect non-timber forest produce
4. people of such area are allowed traditional agricultural practices
How many of the above statements are correct?
* Community reserves in India are terms denoting protected areas of India which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India. * Statement 1 is incorrect: As per the Section 36 D of the WildLife Protection Act (WLPA): The State Government shall constitute a Community Reserve management committee, which shall be the authority responsible for conserving, maintaining and managing the community reserve. The committee shall elect a Chairman who shall also be the Honorary WildLife Warden on the community reserve. * Statement 2 is correct: After a forest has been made into a community reserve, people are not allowed to hunt there, thus hunting is prohibited in community reserves. * Statement 3 is correct: People of such areas are allowed to collect non-timber forest produce. * Statement 4 is incorrect: After a forest has been made into a community reserve, people are also not allowed to use it for agricultural practices such as shifting (jhum) cultivation.
How is the National Green Tribunal (NGT) different from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)?
1. The NGT has been established by an Act whereas the CPCB has been created by executive order of the Government.
2. The NGT provides environmental justice and helps reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts whereas the CPCB promotes cleanliness of streams and wells, and aims to improve the quality of air in the country.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct
Statement 1 is incorrect: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, passed by Parliament, making it a statutory body. Similarly, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was constituted under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and is also a statutory body. It plays a key role in environmental regulation in India. Statement 2 is correct: The NGT’s primary role is to ensure the expeditious disposal of environmental cases related to forest conservation, natural resource protection, and pollution control, thereby reducing the burden on higher courts. The CPCB, functioning under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), is responsible for monitoring water and air quality, implementing pollution control measures, and enforcing environmental laws to promote a cleaner environment. Thus, while both bodies deal with environmental protection, the NGT focuses on adjudication, whereas the CPCB handles regulatory and enforcement functions.
Therefore, the correct answer is option (b) 2 only.
Which organization has enacted the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss?
✅ A. The European Union:
The Nature Restoration Law (NRL) is an EU legislative initiative adopted in 2024. It sets binding targets to restore ecosystems, fight climate change, and protect biodiversity across EU member states. ❌ B. The World Bank:
An international financial institution providing loans and grants; it does not enact laws like the NRL. ❌ C. OECD:
An organization promoting economic cooperation and policy coordination; it does not enact binding environmental laws such as the NRL. ❌ D. FAO:
A UN agency focused on hunger and agriculture; it does not enact regional laws like the NRL.
With reference to coal-based thermal power plants in India, consider the following statements :
1. None of them uses seawater.
2. None of them is set up in water-stressed district.
3. None of them is privately owned.
How many of the above statements are correct?
* Statement 1 is incorrect: The Mundra Thermal Power Plant employs a closed-cycle induced draft circulating cooling water system that utilises seawater. Seawater is drawn from the Gulf of Kutch through robust glass reinforced pipes of significant diameter. In addition, purified seawater from a reverse osmosis plant is utilised by various supplementary systems. * Statement 2 is incorrect: According to recent research by WRI (World Resources Institute), 40 percent of India's thermal power plants are situated in regions experiencing significant water stress. This poses a challenge as these plants rely on water for cooling purposes. The scarcity of water is already causing disruptions in electricity generation in these areas, with 14 out of India's 20 largest thermal utilities having experienced at least one shutdown between 2013 and 2016 due to water shortages. * Statement 3 is incorrect: India has a total of 269 Thermal Power Plants, with 138 of them being owned by the public sector and the remaining 131 owned by the private sector.
Show 3 more PYQs
Which one of the following has been constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986?
Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been constituted under Section 3 (3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to regulate and control development and management of groundwater resources in the country. Central Water Commission (CWC) - Established in 1945, the CWC is a technical organization under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. It focuses on water resource planning, development, and management in India, but its legal basis comes from other central government acts. Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) - While it works in close collaboration with the CGWA, the CGWB is a subordinate organization under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, established in 1970. It functions as the technical arm of the CGWA, providing hydrogeological data and technical expertise. National Water Development Agency (NWDA) - This autonomous agency, established in 1982 under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, operates under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It focuses on resolving interstate water resource disputes, conducting feasibility studies for water resource development projects, and planning water transfer and linking projects.
Consider the following statements :
The Environment Protection Act, 1986 empowers the Government of India to
1. state the requirement of public participation in the process of environmental protection, and the Procedure and manner in which it sought
2. lay down the standards for emission or discharge of environmental pollutants from various sources
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 is incorrect: The Environment Protection Act (EPA), 1986 recognizes the importance of public participation in environmental decision-making. However, it does not explicitly define the procedure for public participation in environmental governance, such as public hearings or consultations. These provisions were later formalized through subsequent rules and notifications, such as the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, which mandates public hearings for certain projects. Statement 2 is correct: The EPA, of 1986 empowers the Central Government to Lay down environmental quality standards for air, water, and soil, Regulate emissions and discharges of pollutants from industries and other sources, Restrict hazardous substances and their handling, Take emergency measures to prevent environmental disasters.
In India, the use of carbofuran, methyl parathion, phorate and triazophos is viewed with apprehension. These chemicals are used as
In India, the use of carbofuran, methyl parathion, phorate and triazophos is viewed with apprehension because they are all pesticides used in agriculture. These pesticides are considered hazardous due to their potential negative impacts on human health and the environment.