What is it?
The Draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 is a proposed law to replace the Insecticides Act, 1968 and Insecticides Rules, 1971 with a more modern pesticide regulatory framework.
The Union Government released the fresh draft for public consultation on 7 January 2026, and invited comments until 4 February 2026. As of August 2026, it remains a draft proposal, not an enacted law.
Major Features
The Bill seeks to make pesticide regulation more farmer-centric by providing for:
- greater transparency and traceability of pesticides;
- use of digital and technology-based systems for registration and regulation;
- stricter action against spurious and substandard pesticides;
- higher penalties for serious violations;
- compounding of certain offences, especially petty offences;
- mandatory accreditation of pesticide testing laboratories;
- improved administrative control by Centre, States and UTs;
- encouragement of biopesticides and indigenous manufacturing.
Why a New Law is Needed
The existing Insecticides Act, 1968 was framed primarily around controlling the manufacture, sale and use of insecticides. Over time, India’s pesticide sector has expanded considerably, creating new concerns relating to:
- counterfeit and spurious products;
- residue levels in food;
- environmental contamination;
- farmer safety;
- pesticide resistance;
- weak traceability;
- newer biological and chemical formulations.
The proposed Bill therefore attempts to shift regulation from a narrow insecticide-control framework towards a broader pesticide management system.
Significance for Agriculture
A stronger regulatory framework can help:
- ensure farmers receive quality-assured pesticides;
- reduce crop losses caused by fake products;
- encourage safer and more targeted pesticide use;
- improve confidence in testing and certification;
- support Integrated Pest Management and biopesticides;
- improve India’s food-safety and export credibility.
It also seeks to balance farmer protection with Ease of Doing Business for legitimate manufacturers and sellers.
Key Concerns
Important implementation issues include:
- ensuring that higher penalties are actually enforced;
- preventing excessive regulatory burden on small dealers and manufacturers;
- strengthening State-level inspection capacity;
- improving laboratory quality and testing infrastructure;
- ensuring environmental and public-health considerations are not weakened in favour of commercial convenience;
- creating reliable pesticide traceability from manufacturer to farmer.
Key takeaway: The Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 aims to modernise India’s pesticide regulation through traceability, stronger quality control, accredited testing, digital regulation and tougher action against spurious pesticides, while replacing the over five-decade-old Insecticides Act framework.
Food Safety Standards
Meaning and Legal Framework
Food safety standards are legally prescribed requirements that ensure food is safe, hygienic, properly labelled and suitable for human consumption.
In India, the principal law is the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which consolidated multiple earlier food laws and created the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, FSSAI.
FSSAI functions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and is responsible for framing science-based standards for food products and regulating their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import.
What the Standards Cover
FSSAI regulations cover:
- product composition and quality standards;
- permitted food additives;
- contaminants, toxins and residues;
- pesticide and antibiotic residues;
- packaging;
- labelling and display;
- fortification;
- organic foods;
- nutraceuticals and health supplements;
- licensing and registration of food businesses;
- food testing and accredited laboratories.
Food businesses must obtain appropriate FSSAI registration or licence depending on their scale and nature of operations.
Major Regulatory Areas
Important regulations include:
- Food Products Standards and Food Additives Regulations, 2011
- Contaminants, Toxins and Residues Regulations, 2011
- Packaging Regulations, 2018
- Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020
- Fortification of Foods Regulations, 2018
- Organic Foods Regulations, 2017
- regulations for nutraceuticals and special dietary foods.
Standards are enforced through Food Safety Officers, designated officers, recognised laboratories and State food-safety authorities.
Latest Developments, 2026
FSSAI continued significant regulatory updating in 2026.
Recent changes include:
- amendment of Contaminants, Toxins and Residues Regulations covering metal contaminants, naturally occurring toxins and antibiotic residues;
- amendment of Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses Regulations, 2026;
- amendment of Labelling and Display Regulations, 2026;
- updated specification of the vegan food logo;
- fresh notification of NABL-accredited food laboratories;
- draft updates for food additives, minor seed oils, edible seeds and food-safety auditing.
This reflects a shift towards stronger traceability, laboratory testing, labelling transparency and risk-based regulation.
Significance and Challenges
Food safety standards are important for:
- public health;
- prevention of adulteration;
- control of chemical and microbial contamination;
- consumer information;
- nutrition and labelling transparency;
- export competitiveness;
- trust in processed and packaged foods.
Major challenges include:
- adulteration and informal food markets;
- uneven enforcement across states;
- laboratory capacity;
- pesticide and antibiotic residues;
- misleading health claims;
- compliance burden for small businesses;
- emerging risks from ultra-processed and novel foods.
Key takeaway: India’s food-safety framework is increasingly moving from basic adulteration control towards a broader system of science-based standards, traceability, labelling, residue control, accredited testing and risk-based regulation.
