Give compensation to endosulfan victims in 3 months: SC to

The Supreme Court today directed the Kerala government to disburse compensation and rehabilitation package for endosulfan pesticide victims in Kasaragod district of the state within three months.
A bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar ordered the state government to provide a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of persons who died following exposure to the pesticide and those who became bed-ridden or mentally retarded.
The court passed the order on petition filed by CPIM's youth wing Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) seeking country-wide ban on sale and production of endosulfan in its present form or any other derivative in the market.

DYFI had contended in its petition that a large section of people had been directly affected because of the use of endosulfan, already banned in 81 countries.
Endosulfan is an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide.
In 2011, the top court had banned the production, sale and use of the controversial pesticide in the country holding that human life is more important than anything else.