MANGALORE: Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar's intentions have come under a cloud of suspicion after documents obtained under RTI revealed that he had misled Parliament on the issue of banning the poisonous pesticide Endosulfan.
On February 22, Pawar had informed the Lok Sabha that many states were against a ban on Endosulfan and wanted to continue using it. However, information obtained through RTI reveals that the Union Minister had deliberately exaggerated facts to mislead the House.
Contrary to claims made by Pawar, the documents obtained under RTI revealed that not a single state had requested the Centre to withdraw the ban. The Ministry of Agriculture had received six letters in all, urging the Centre not to ban Endosulfan.
Three letters were from Endosulfan producers and two others were furnished by Consortium of Indian Farmers Association (CIFA). Saurashtra Chamber of Commerce and Industry, too, had written demanding the withdrawal of the ban.
The information furnished to RTI applicant and Keralabased journalist D Dhansumod also revealed that the Centre had refrained from reacting to the demands for a ban on Endosulfan from Kerala and Karnataka governments.
The Centre received over 3,000 letters from organisations as well as individuals demanding a ban on Endosulfan and even National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had sought a ban.