Highly Toxic Herbicide ‘Paraquat’ Banned in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government banned the use of a highly toxic herbicide named Paraquat in the state on Thursday.

This herbicide is used to eradicate undesired plants and weeds from agricultural lands. Sometimes it is used for aquatic weed control.

As the chemical has an extremely adverse effect on the health of humans and animals, the state government has decided to completely stop the sale, manufacture and use of this toxic chemical, Paraquat in Odisha.

As per the provisions of the Insecticides Act, 1968, the ban will be initially effective for a period of two months. Following the scientific opinion from research institutions and other stakeholders, the state government may propose the central government for a permanent ban on this chemical in Odisha. The state government took this decision as per the feedback under the ‘Mo Sarkar’ (my government) initiative.