After complaints of banned pesticides available in some districts, the Tamil Nadu Agriculture Department has formed special squads to conduct surprise checks.
The state agriculture department had issued a circular of December 12, 2022, banning the sale and use of six pesticides based on the directive from the Centre. These pesticides, according to the Centre, were used by many people for committing suicide and hence it was banned from being used in the agricultural fields and farms.
Fertilizer shops were directed to stop sale and distribution of these pesticides under the Insecticide Act 1986 and the Insecticide Rules of 1971.
The farmers of Tiruppur, Pudukottai and Salem districts complained that chemicals like monocrotophos -- one among the six banned pesticides in Tamil Nadu -- was being widely used in these areas. According to the farmers, the banned product was reaching the hands of gullible farmers through online sale.
Satyamoorthy K., a farmer in Salem while speaking to IANS said, "The monocrotophos is widely used here in coconut farms and this helps the farmers to wade off the attack by white flies."
However, he said that in Pollachi, Kangeyam and Uudmulpet farmers in large numbers were using the banned pesticide.
Following complaints from the farmers in large numbers from different parts of the state, the state agriculture department constituted squads to trace shops that sell the banned fertilizers as well as the farmers, who are using the product even after directive from the agriculture department that the pesticide was banned.
Sources in the agriculture department told IANS that even after the seizure of monocrotophos, the fertilizer is being illegally procured and used in coconut groves.
The department is of the opinion that online sale outlets are pushing the sale of these banned pesticides, and the department has already constituted special squads to check, stop and prevent the use of these pesticides.
Operation Sindoor: PM Modi meets Rajnath Singh, NSA Doval and three service chiefs
In the backdrop of the ongoing ‘Operation Sindoor’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and Chiefs of the Armed Forces and senior officials.
11 more Bangladeshi nationals held in Tripura
The Tripura Frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF), jointly with state police, on Friday apprehended 11 more Bangladeshi nationals, including four women and four children, officials said.
Railway Protection Force tightens security in NFR zone
In response to escalating security challenges across the country, Railway Protection Force (RPF) of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has significantly strengthened its security protocols at stations, trains and railway premises, an official said on Friday.
India opposes IMF lifeline for Pakistan due to terror financing risk
India strongly opposed further financial assistance from the IMF to Pakistan at the executive board meeting held on Friday, expressing serious concerns over Islamabad’s track record and the fact that the bailouts were enabling the cash-strapped country to sponsor cross-border terrorism.
Sirens echo across Jammu as 'blasts' trigger blackout; CM Omar Abdullah posts urgent advisory on social media
Jammu city plunged into darkness late Friday evening after a series of blasts were heard across the region, prompting authorities to sound emergency alarms and urge citizens to stay indoors.
Enough rice, wheat, sugar, oil and pulses stock, no need to panic: Pralhad Joshi
The government on Friday reiterated that there is no shortage of essential commodities in the country, and citizens are advised not to panic or rush to the markets to purchase food grains.
Indian carriers cancel flights to 24 airports till May 15 as tensions flare up
Indian carriers on Friday announced that flights to 24 airports had been cancelled till May 15, following a notification from aviation authorities on the continued closure of multiple airports in the country.
New low even for Pakistan: India hits out at Islamabad for targetting religious places
As Pakistani troops continued resorting to heavy mortar shelling on the Indian side along the Line of Control (LoC), India on Friday slammed the rogue nation for specifically targetting religious places labelling it as a "new low even for Pakistan".