New Delhi, Tuesday 19 April 2011: The National Human Rights Commission has convened a high level meeting to discuss about banning Endosulfan. The meeting is scheduled for 3pm today at the national capital.

Higher officials from the ministries of agriculture, home and forest would attend the meeting. The union agricultural ministry had earlier informed the commission that national wide ban on Endosulfan is not practicable since another low cost pesticide is yet to emerge.

The union health ministry has suggested a detailed study on the effects of Endosulfan and is likely to stick to the same stand today also. Health secretary would be representing the government of Kerala in the meeting.

Earlier report

The Kerala government will press the Centre to adopt a stand in favour of a global ban on the production and use of Endosulfan at a conference of parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants beginning in Geneva on April 25.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said here that he would soon write to the Centre demanding that it change its stand. The Centre was adopting a cruel stand, ignoring the travails of the victims of Endosulfan. The State government would send the findings of expert teams on Endosulfan to the convention secretariat.

Forest Minister Benoy Viswom demanded that India support the recommendation for a global ban on Endosulfan at the convention.
Addressing a press conference here, the Minister said the Centre should end its “hide and seek” in respect of Endosulfan and sympathise with the victims. India’s stand at Stockholm should not be determined by trade interests, he said adding “the policy of Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar should not become the country’s policy.”

Viswom recalled that he had written to the Union Minister and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging them that the Centre support a ban on Endosulfan at a Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the convention. However, the Centre ignored his call. It dropped out of the discussions at the committee, which had since recommended a ban. He would write to the Centre again to press for the ban.

(with news agency inputs)