ABSTRACT
Details regarding legislative regulation of pesticides have been summarized (Narayanaswamy, 1993). At first, pesticide use was regulated under the Indian Poison Act of 1909; the State Poison Rules covering nine toxic pesticides; and the Indian Drugs and Cosmetic Act of 1940, which included four pesticides used in the public health sector. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of 1954 and its Rules, 1955, prescribed tolerance limits for pesticide residues in common food items. These piecemeal provisions had a limited impact as reports of food poisoning by OPs occurred in the states of Kerala and Madras. In 1962, 450 people were reported to have been crippled with paralysis in the Malda and Dinajpur districts because wheat had been contaminated by tri-ortho cresyl phosphate. A number of other poisoning incidents caused the Government of India to appoint an Enquiry Commission under the chairmanship of Justice J.C. Shah. Based on the recommendations of a subcommittee headed by Professor M.S. Thaker, the Government of India passed comprehensive pesticide legislation titled the Indian Insecticides Act, 1968. Implementation of the Act and the Rules framed under it began on 1 August 1971. Enforcement responsibility is divided between the Central and State governments. Registration of pesticides, their formulations, and all matters connected with them are the responsibility of the Central Government, while the burden of field enforcement of provisions of the Act rests with the State governments and the Union territories. Two statutory bodies were constituted under the Act: the Central Insecticides Board (CIB) and the Registration Committee.
