- The Supreme Court has directed the Kerala government to pay compensation to four minors who were victims of the endosulfan tragedy.
- The case relates to the victims who were reported to be affected in Kerala’s Kasaragod district after Endosulfan was aerially sprayed by state owned company on cashew plantations.
- Endosulfan is an organochlorine insecticide which was first introduced in the 1950s and is commonly known by its trade name Thiodan.
- Endosulfan is sprayed on crops like cotton, cashew, fruits, tea, paddy, tobacco for control of pests such as whiteflies, aphids, beetles, worms among others.
- Endosulfan has been banned in over 80 nations due to its high toxicity, potential for bioaccumulation and role as an endocrine disruptor.
- The Supreme Court in India had banned the manufacture, sale, use, and export of endosulfan throughout the country citing its harmful health effects.
