The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to provide a one-time financial assistance of Rs 1000 each to as many as 5,287 Endosulfan victims in Kasaragod district.
A cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijajayan, decided to give away the aid to those victims, who are getting pension through the Kerala Social Security Mission, a CMO statement said here.
The decision was taken days after the government gave assurance to meet the demands of social activist Daya Bai, who held a hunger strike here in solidarity with the victims.
About Kerala’s Endosulfan tragedy
Endosulfan is a pesticide that was widely sprayed in Kerala’s Kasaragod district from the mid 70s until 2011 to protect cashew, cotton, tea, paddy crops from whiteflies.
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Locals reportedly suffered deformities, palsies, and other health complications, which prompted the Supreme Court to ban the pesticide’s production and distribution in 2015. Later in a 2017 ruling, the apex court also directed the Kerala government to pay Rs 500 crores in three months as compensation to over 5,000 victims of the Endosulfan tragedy.
The pesticide has been banned internationally ever since, with the United Nations Stockholm Convention categorizing it under its Annex A.
Prolonged exposure to the chemicals in Endosulfan can have health effects such as neurotoxicity, late sexual maturity, physical deformities, and poisoning, among others. It is also known to block the inhibitory receptors of the central nervous system, and cause mental retardation.
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Compensation for victims
In a contempt petition in May 2022, a Supreme Court bench led by Justice D.Y Chandrachud rapped the state, stating that the Kerala government did “virtually nothing for five years. Besides the fact that the delay is appalling, the inaction is in breach of the orders of this court.”
Until May, only eight out of the roughly 5000+ victims had received compensation. These eight happened to be the ones who approached the court in a contempt petition against the state.
Recognising Right to Health as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution, the bench had directed the state government to disburse Rs. 5 lakh as compensation to the victims, as well as ensure the provision of suitable medical facilities.
(With inputs from PTI)
