PERMANENT BAN ON 6 PESTICIDES FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION

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• With the State government issuing an order banning six hazardous pesticides for a period of 60 days to curb access to means of suicide, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian on Tuesday said the Department of Agriculture would seek a permanent ban on the pesticides from the Union government.
• The Minister said that three percent yellow phosphorus (phosphorus paste) that is used as a rodenticide was being banned permanently in the State.
• A government order has been issued banning it permanently. On accepting the Health Department’s demand, the Agriculture Department has banned the manufacture, wholesale and retail sale and transportation of rodenticides with three percent yellow phosphorus paste in Tamil Nadu, as well as its online sales,” he told reporters.
• The Agriculture Department has banned six hazardous pesticides: Monocrotophos, Profenophos, Acephate, Profenofos + Cypermethrin, Chlorpyrifos + Cypermethrin and Chlorpyrifos, he said, adding: “The ban is for 60 days, while there is a provision allowing an extension by another 30 days. The Agriculture Department will seek a permanent ban from the Union government.”
• The products were easily available and displayed in the open in shops, thereby providing easy access to people with suicidal tendencies, the Minister noted.
• During the 90-day period, a field-level assessment on the effect of the ban would be taken up, and the results would be communicated to the Union government, he said.
• The Minister said that the details of the products banned in the State would be communicated to e-commerce platforms to prevent online sales.
• The Department has also sought a ban on cow dung powder, he added.
• The Minister said it was worrying that there were 16,883 deaths by suicides in 2020 in the State. The Department was taking various awareness initiatives to prevent suicides.
• For students of government medical colleges, Manam, an initiative to provide assistance as well as to train them, was launched in Chennai recently. Soon, it will be launched in all 36 government medical colleges.

SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB