Centre seeks public comments on draft Pesticides Management Bill to replace 1968 Act

The Agriculture Ministry on Wednesday (January 7, 2026) released the draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025, seeking public comments on the legislation that aims to replace the 57-year-old Insecticides Act, 1968, and the Insecticides Rules, 1971, with enhanced penalties for violations.

The Ministry has invited feedback from all stakeholders by February 4, 2026, to refine the legislation before it is introduced in Parliament, according to a statement.

Reform measures

The proposed farmer-centric legislation introduces several reform measures, including provisions for transparency and traceability to improve services to farmers.

The bill incorporates digital methods and technology to streamline processes while imposing stricter controls on spurious pesticides through higher penalties.

Key features of the draft bill include mandatory accreditation of testing laboratories to ensure quality pesticides reach farmers, and provisions for compounding of offences with enhanced penalties to be defined by State-level authorities.

Striking a balance

The legislation seeks to balance ease of living for farmers with ease of doing business for industry stakeholders.

The amendments also aim to strengthen administrative control over and management of pesticides across the country.

As part of pre-legislative consultation, the draft bill is available on the Ministry’s website, https://agriwelfare.gov.in.

Stakeholders and members of the public can submit comments and suggestions in MS Word or PDF format through e-mails to pp1.pesticides@gov.in, rajbir.yadava@gov.in, or jyoti.uttam@gov.in.

Ankur Aggarwal, chairman, CropLife India, said, “We are currently in the process of examining the draft Pesticides Management Bill 2025 (revised 2020 bill). We shall arrive at a consolidated view of the industry and share a detailed response in due course.”