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Central Pesticides Board and Registration Committee Proposed Under Draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare releases the Draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 for consultation with stakeholders and the public. The draft provides for replacing the Insecticides Act, 1968 and its rules, and regulates pesticides through a unified framework with digital governance and revised enforcement provisions.
Draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 :
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Authority releasing draft | Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare |
| Legal replacement | Insecticides Act, 1968 and its rules. |
| Regulatory coverage | Regulates the full life cycle of pesticides manufacture, import, labelling, sale, transport, use and disposal under a unified framework. |
| Central institutions established | Central Pesticides Board (advisory) and a Registration Committee (executive) for pesticide registrations. |
| Central Pesticides Board composition and role | Health, Environment, and Agriculture ministries; provides for setting safety and disposal standards. |
| Registration Committee role | Authorised as the executive authority responsible for evaluating pesticide applications via mandatory digital modes based on safety and efficacy. |
| Mandatory registration rule | No pesticide can be manufactured or imported without prior registration. |
| Registration timelines | 12–18 months. |
| Digital governance provisions | Use of digital platforms for registration, licensing, inspections and record-keeping. |
| Quality assurance | Accreditation of pesticide testing laboratories to ensure only quality-certified products are available to farmers. |
| Controls on spurious products | Provides for stricter penalties and controls to deter fake, substandard or banned pesticides, including provisions for compounding of offences. |
| Pesticide Inspectors powers | Authorises Pesticide Inspectors to enter premises, seize stocks, and stop the sale of unsafe products for up to 60 days pending laboratory results. |
| State role | Enhanced penalties within the framework. |
| Decriminalisation provision | Decriminalising petty offences for Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business. |