Farmers' frenzy against land acquisition spread on Sunday and singed more places in west Uttar Pradesh with the number of those killed rising to four. While 22 protesters were arrested for rioting and arson, the state government announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information on absconding farmer leader Manveer Singh Tevetia who triggered the protests. Four policemen were injured in Agra where farmers attacked cops demanding higher compensation for their...

Ten days ago a well-informed reader in Kochi e-mailed a convincing case for banning endosulfan, an off-patent pesticide widely used by farmers round the country, on the reasoning that it played havoc with the lives and livelihoods of poor farm workers. But the reader did not stop with this; he said The Hindu had not given the issue the attention it warranted. This led me to a qualitative study of...

The lush green Indian state of Kerala, advertised in travel brochures as "God’s Own Country", is at the center of a continuing battle in the country to secure an early ban on the use of the pesticide endosulfan. The Kerala government and activists say the pesticide has caused 4,000 victims in the state, through cancer, crippled limbs and babies born with deformities; 496 related deaths have been officially recorded. No scientist,...

India has decided to join a global consensus to end the production and use of endosulfan after being allowed 11 years to phase it out and promised financial assistance. This decision is not irreversible since India has to ratify its own decision. An absolutely final position can be adopted after the results of more elaborate studies on extensive use are available since a causal link between the health hazards in...

Ban request only from Kerala and Karnataka, says Manmohan Singh He will go to Kasaragod during next Kerala visit CPI(M), DYFI members stage protests in Delhi As Kerala observed “Anti-Endosulfan Day” on Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reportedly told the State's Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala that the Centre would consolidate opinions from various States before deciding on the requests for a nationwide ban...