India introduces Pesticide Management Act, 2020 (Bill) in the House of Representatives. 
In India, on March 23, 2020, the proposed Pesticide Management Act, 2020 (Bill No. XXII of 2020) has been introduced in the House of Representatives. This bill will regulate the manufacture, importation, packaging, labeling, storage, sale, transportation, distribution and use of pesticides to ensure the availability of safe and effective ones. The bill will also replace the Insecticides Act, 1968 and the date of implementation will be separately specified by the Central Government. The main provisions are as follows.
Definition of “pesticide” (Art. 3(x))
Any substance or mixture of substances, including a formulation of chemical or biological origin intended for preventing, destroying, attracting, repelling, mitigating or controlling any pest in agriculture, industry, pest control operations, public health, storage or for ordinary use, and includes any substance intended for use as a plant growth regulator, defoliant, desiccant, fruit thinning agent, or sprouting inhibitor and any substance applied to crops either before or after harvest to protect them from deterioration during storage and transport
Registration of pesticides (Chapter III)
- Any person desiring to import or manufacture any pesticide for ordinary use, use in agriculture, storage, industry, pest control operations or public health, shall make an application to the Registration Committee for a certificate of registration.
- If a person desires to import or manufacture more than one pesticide, a separate application shall be made for each pesticide.
- If the Registration Committee is of the opinion that the information submitted is not sufficient to enable it to make a decision about registration, it shall have the power to require the applicant to submit any additional information or to conduct any additional tests as it deems fit.
- Any person desiring to import or manufacture a pesticide that shall be introduced in India for the first time shall make an application to the Registration Committee. The Registration Committee may grant a provisional certificate of registration for a period not exceeding three years, pending observation during which the applicant shall generate the information necessary for the grant of a certificate of registration. During the period for which a pesticide has been granted provisional registration, the distribution or sale of such pesticide shall not be permitted, except in the event of an exigency as decided by the Central Government on the recommendation of the Registration Committee.
- Insecticides registered under the Insecticides Act, 1968 shall be deemed to be registered under the provisions of this Act for a maximum period of two years from the date of commencement of this Act. Before the expiry of the said period, the holder of the certificate of registration of such insecticide shall make an application within a period of six months from the date of commencement of this Act for registration of the pesticide in such manner as may be prescribed by the Central Government.
Pesticide Management Act, 2020 (Bill) can be downloaded at the following URL.
http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2020/218895.pdf
