Seeking to widen his government's campaign against endosulfan, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has written to his counterparts in other states requesting them to bring combined pressure on the Centre to impose a nationwide ban on the pesticide. Ahead of a Kerala 'hartal' on Friday called by ruling CPI(M)-led LDF on the endosulfan issue, Achuthanandan, in his letter, highlighted the ill-effects due to use of the pesticide over the years...

The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Wednesday demanded a nationwide ban on pesticide endosulfan and the setting up of a committee to asses the damage caused by it and pay compensation to the victims. “It is absolutely unacceptable that despite several scientific studies — undertaken both by Central and State agencies — finding that endosulfan is a deadly chemical, it is still sold and used in our country,” the party...

A writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a directive to the Centre to impose all-India ban on endosulfan. The petitioner, Democratic Youth Federation of India, in its petition said it was constrained to approach the Supreme Court in compelling circumstances wherein the valuable life of a large section of people was directly affected because of the use of endosulfan, a pesticide which was already banned in 81...

India on Tuesday raised objections relating to the “absence of alternatives” and “procedural violations” to the recommendation for a global ban on endosulfan at the conference of parties to the Stockholm Convention meeting in Geneva. However, C. Jayakumar, observer from Kerala, told TheHindu over telephone from Geneva that there was softening in India's approach compared to its position at previous meetings. Though it had said that the health and environmental effects...

As the stage is set for the crucial meeting of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP), a global regime to protect human health and the environment from dangerous chemicals, to be held in Geneva from April 25, a showdown between the Centre and Kerala has been underway. In the meeting with an all-party delegation from Kerala, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has reiterated the position taken by Union ministers...