GUWAHATI: In a recent development, the Government of Assam on Tuesday announced that it would initiate a state-wide testing campaign starting from June 5 to identify the presence of excessive pesticides in vegetables and other agricultural products.
As per reports, the state government submitted an affidavit to the Gauhati High Court, revealing its acquisition of 200 testing kits from the renowned Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to facilitate the testing process.
During the testing phase, the government will regularly submit reports to document the number of pesticides detected in the samples. This comprehensive approach aims to tackle the issue of pesticide residues in farm produce effectively, reports stated.
Furthermore, the Gauhati High Court issued a special directive to the petitioners responsible for bringing this matter to light, granting them the authority to file complaints with the police if they encounter any new information regarding the excessive use of pesticides, as per media reports.
It is worth mentioning that the Gauhati High Court previously observed in April this year that Assam lacked an immediate detection system for pesticide presence in vegetables and other agricultural produce. This observation came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to pesticide usage in vegetables, which highlighted the subsequent entry of these harmful substances into the food cycle.
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