logo
Centre plans stricter law against counterfeit farm inputs including pesticides and seeds

Centre plans stricter law against counterfeit farm inputs including pesticides and seeds

Time of Indiaa day ago

Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the ICAR, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR) campus in Bengaluru
BENGALURU: The Centre will soon introduce a stricter law to address the issue of spurious pesticides, non-genuine seeds, and counterfeit fertilisers, said Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
He was speaking to farmers at the ICAR – Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR) campus on Sunday as part of the ongoing 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan'. This initiative aims to connect scientists with farmers under the Centre's 'lab to land' programme. It was his first visit to South India during the campaign, which began on May 29.
'Those who are involved in selling fake seeds and pesticides will be severely punished,' said Chouhan, referring to several complaints by farmers in many states.
The farmers' concerns were highlighted in a 2015 study by Ficci, which revealed the loss of over 10 million tonnes of food production due to the use of spurious pesticides that year. It also showed that the value of fake pesticides was growing at 20% per year, with states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Haryana, and Karnataka being among the worst affected.
Although the sale of fake or substandard seeds, pesticides, and fertilisers is a punishable offence under existing laws, the absence of proper monitoring and accountability does not yield the desired results on the ground.
The new law is expected to address these enforcement gaps.
During his speech, Chouhan also promised to introduce a scheme to reduce farmers' transportation costs for tomatoes, onions, and potatoes. This would ensure they receive a fair price for their produce without losing money to middlemen who take a significant cut in delivering the farm produce to the desired destination.
Under the scheme, the Centre will collaborate with states to bear the transport costs, involving agencies that procure from farmers and deliver the produce to markets in other states.
The minister's farm visits to rural areas near Bengaluru on Sunday were part of the fortnight-long campaign to connect with farmers and gather first-hand information on their day-to-day farm-related problems.
'The central govt will collaborate with states, Agricultural Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), farmers, and scientists to draw a comprehensive roadmap to improve farming operations and achieve the goal of developing India as the world's food basket,' said Chouhan while addressing the gathering of farmers and farm scientists.
He stated that the 'Abhiyan' envisions 'One Nation, One Agriculture, One Team' to work for the farmers' interests.
In Karnataka, more than 70 interdisciplinary teams comprising scientists and officials from agriculture and allied departments have been visiting farms daily since May 29. These teams are recording feedback directly from farmers to shape need-based, problem-oriented agricultural research programmes.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Indian roads will match US standards in 2 years, says Nitin Gadkari
Indian roads will match US standards in 2 years, says Nitin Gadkari

Business Standard

timean hour ago

  • Business Standard

Indian roads will match US standards in 2 years, says Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, said on Monday that India's road infrastructure will match that of the United States within two years. He backed the claim by pointing to the government's decade-long focus on investment in the sector. "The question is not about the facelift, it has already changed. You have just watched the newsreel, the main picture is yet to start. The projects in the pipeline are progressing rapidly. In another two years, you will be able to see that Indian road infrastructure will be similar to that of America," Gadkari told ANI in an interview, when asked when Indian roads would undergo a complete transformation. He added, 'Some people from America met me and said our infrastructure is better than America.' Improved roads lower logistics costs Gadkari explained that improved highways and expressways have reduced logistics costs, thereby enhancing India's export competitiveness. "If we raise our exports, it will improve our agricultural sector, manufacturing, and services, among all other sectors," he said. He noted that India has historically faced high logistics costs—around 16 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP)—compared to 8 per cent in China and 12 per cent in the US and Europe. "Our roads were not good, our ports were not good. Traffic congestion raised costs," he said. Major projects underway Gadkari outlined several key infrastructure projects in progress, including 25 greenfield expressways, a 3,000-km highway to boost port connectivity, and ₹1 trillion worth of roads linking key religious tourism circuits. He added that the government is connecting Buddhist circuits and the Char Dham pilgrimage routes with all-weather highways. "We are developing 36 tunnels between Jammu and Srinagar; 23 have been completed, and works for another 4–5 are underway," Gadkari said. "We are developing 15 ropeways under Parvatmala Yojana, besides 35 multi-modal logistics parks." Infrastructure: The backbone of growth Public infrastructure is central to economic growth, improving connectivity, trade, and quality of life. Over the last decade, India has made significant advances in this area. The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP), launched in 2021, seeks to bring together various ministries—such as Railways and Roadways—for integrated planning and streamlined execution of major infrastructure projects. India currently has the second-largest road network in the world. Its National Highways (NH) span approximately 146,000 km, forming the backbone of national transport. According to a ministry statement released in February 2025, the network has grown substantially—from 65,569 km in 2004, to 91,287 km in 2014, and to 146,145 km by 2024.

Collegium system imperfect but preserves ‘judiciary's autonomy', says Supreme Court judge
Collegium system imperfect but preserves ‘judiciary's autonomy', says Supreme Court judge

Scroll.in

timean hour ago

  • Scroll.in

Collegium system imperfect but preserves ‘judiciary's autonomy', says Supreme Court judge

The Supreme Court's Justice Surya Kant has said that the collegium system of appointing judges, despite its imperfections, serves as a 'crucial institutional safeguard' and preserves the judiciary's autonomy, The Indian Express reported on Sunday. Kant, who is slated to become the next chief justice of India, said that the collegium system 'significantly limits interference by the Executive and Legislature, thereby preserving the Judiciary's autonomy and insulating judges from extraneous pressures that could otherwise compromise their impartiality,' the newspaper reported. Under the collegium system, the five most senior judges of the Supreme Court, including the chief justice, decide on the appointments and transfers of judges to the top court and the High Courts. Speaking at Seattle University in the United States on June 4, Kant acknowledged that the system has faced criticism, especially on the lack of publicly articulated criteria for selecting judges. However, he said that 'recent efforts by the Supreme Court signal a growing commitment to enhancing transparency and public confidence in it'. In 2022, the Supreme Court Collegium had published detailed documentation of its deliberations on selecting five judges. Since October 2017, the Collegium has also been publishing its resolution on the court's official website. Kant also said that the 'the judiciary's evolving relationship with its own independence, lies at the very heart of how India's vast, pluralistic democracy continues to function with remarkable cohesion'. He also said that some phases of institutional strain 'particularly during the Emergency' eventually 'gave way to renewed judicial consciousness'. In recent years, the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre has been selectively appointing judges recommended for elevation to the bench by the Supreme Court collegium, which has allowed the Union government to exercise a veto over judicial appointments. The executive and the judiciary have been in a tug-of-war regarding appointments to higher judiciary in recent years. Former Law Minister Kiren Rijiju and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar have repeatedly criticised the collegium system of appointing judges, contending that it is opaque. In 2014, the BJP-led government had introduced the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act with the objective of making appointments to the Supreme Court and High Courts 'more broad-based, transparent, accountable and bringing objectivity in the system'. The National Judicial Appointments Commission Act had proposed to make judicial appointments through a body consisting of the chief justice, two senior Supreme Court judges, the Union law minister and two other eminent persons nominated by the chief justice, the prime minister and the Leader of the Opposition. In 2015, the Supreme Court struck down the Act, ruling that it was unconstitutional.

The State will neither forgive nor forget ‘anti-Tamil Nadu policies' of BJP, says TNCC president Selvaperunthagai
The State will neither forgive nor forget ‘anti-Tamil Nadu policies' of BJP, says TNCC president Selvaperunthagai

The Hindu

time2 hours ago

  • The Hindu

The State will neither forgive nor forget ‘anti-Tamil Nadu policies' of BJP, says TNCC president Selvaperunthagai

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai on Monday responded to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that a BJP-AIADMK government would be formed in the State in 2026, saying the State would neither forget nor forgive the 'anti-Tamil Nadu policies' of the BJP-led government at the Centre. He said a BJP government in Tamil Nadu would always remain a 'mirage'. In a statement, he termed as hypocritical Mr. Shah's remarks that he regretted he couldn't speak Tamil. '...what better proof is needed of the government's betrayal than the fact that it had allocated only ₹24 crore over three years for Classical Tamil, while granting ₹664 crore for Sanskrit, a language spoken by only 24,000 people? How will Mr. Shah answer for depriving Tamil Nadu of ₹2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan as a punishment for opposing Hindi imposition through the National Education Policy? Since 1968, Tamil Nadu has followed the two-language policy of Tamil and English,' he said. As for Mr. Shah's claims about the grant of more funds to Tamil Nadu, Mr. Selvaperunthagai said, 'According to official data, in the past seven years, the BJP-led government at the Centre has collected ₹7.38 lakh crore in direct taxes, the GST, and cesses from Tamil Nadu, but returned only ₹2.56 lakh crore to the State. After exploiting Tamil Nadu financially, what evidence does Mr. Shah have to prove his claim that more funds have been given to the State?'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store