Central Government Amends Membership of Central Insecticide Board under Insecticides Act

The Central Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, issued a formal notification on March 6, 2026, to modify the composition of the regulatory body overseeing insecticide management in India. This legislative instrument, identified as S.O. 1176(E), was promulgated in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 5 of the Insecticides Act, 1968. The notification functioned as a further amendment to a principal notification originally issued on February 3, 1997, which established the membership and structure of the Central Insecticide Board. By substituting specific entries in the earlier schedule, the government updated the technical representation within the board to ensure the continued expertise of the body responsible for advising on the safety and efficacy of chemical agents used in agriculture.

The legislation provided: “In exercise of the powers conferred by section 5 of the Insecticides Act, 1968 (46 of 1968), the Central Government hereby makes the following further amendment in the notification of the Government of India, in the erstwhile Ministry of Agriculture, (Department of Agriculture and Cooperation), dated the 3rd February, 1997, published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (ii), vide number S.O. 79(E), dated the 4th February, 1997.”

The primary legal consequence of this notification was the appointment of two new members to the board, replacing the previous incumbents at serial numbers five and six of the 1997 notification. Dr. Subhash Chand, the Joint Director (Chemistry) at the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage in Faridabad, was appointed as a Member. Simultaneously, Dr. Umesh D. Surangi, a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology (the branch of science concerned with the effects of drugs and chemicals on living systems) under the Directorate General of Health Services, was also designated as a Member. The notification specified that these individuals would hold their positions for as long as they remained members of the Central Insecticide Board, thereby linking their tenure to their official roles within their respective departments. This amendment came into force immediately upon its publication in the Official Gazette on March 6, 2026.

The legislative intent behind this update was to maintain the technical integrity and statutory functionality of the Central Insecticide Board. Under the Insecticides Act, 1968, the board is tasked with the critical policy rationale of regulating the manufacture, sale, and distribution of insecticides to mitigate risks to human health and the environment. The earlier statutory framework required periodic updates to ensure that the board consisted of active experts from relevant scientific disciplines, such as chemistry and pharmacology. By addressing gaps in representation through these substitutions, the government ensured that the enforcement mechanisms of the Act remained robust. This notification followed a prior amendment made in January 2026, reflecting a continuous effort by the executive branch to keep the delegated legislation (laws made by the executive under powers granted by an Act of Parliament) aligned with current administrative and scientific requirements.

Keywords: Insecticides Act 1968, Central Insecticide Board, Ministry of Agriculture, Statutory Notification, Plant Protection, Pharmacology, Legislative Amendment, Membership Update

Geo Tags: India
District: Not Applicable