Explanation:

Punjab Government has banned the sale of Glyphosate in the State.Punjab Government has decided to ban the sale of all formulations containing weedicide glyphosate, a day after a court in San Francisco upheld the weed killer’s role in causing cancer.The secretary, Department of Agriculture, Punjab ordered on October 23, 2018 that the herbicide glyphosate would now be regulated in the state.The department has taken the step based on reports of adverse health effects of this chemical. PGIMER in Chandigarh has also provided evidence that the chemical is harmful.This herbicide is very widely used in the State to control wide variety of weeds in almost all the crops.

This chemical has been observed to be group 2A Cancer causing material. Besides cancer, this chemical is also known for causing other health problems and has the potential to damage human DNA as per the opinion of experts from PGIMER, Chandigarh.Glyphosate is sold in the country under various trade names such as Round-up, Excell, Glycel, Glider, Glydon, Sweep, Glyphogen etc.State Agriculture Secretary Mr. K.S. Pannu said that Central Insecticide Board & Registration Committee (CIB&RC), Govt. of India has recommended the use of this herbicide only for tea garden & non-cropped area.Therefore, there is a dire need for strict compliance of the existing label claim of herbicide-Glyphosate as per the conditions of registration with CIB&RC under Insecticide Act, 1968.