No, DDT is not fully banned in India. DDT has been highly regulated by the government of India, mainly in the use of agricultural scene. But still, if you have confusion about it all, let’s discuss it a bit more.
Firstly, DDT is a name that has been abbreviated from the scientific name Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane. Sure, we get it, the name may be quite long, but the substance is basically a strong insecticide from the organochlorine family. DDT was widely used after the Second World War to get rid of such diseases as malaria, and also it was used on a preventive basis in agriculture to avoid infestations. That's the true use of it.
However, it had one major drawback. DDT was not easily decomposed. It can stay there in the environment (in the earth and water, and also inside animals and people) for a very long time. Slowly but surely, the pesticide started to have a terrible impact on nature, and at the same time, it caused a huge health issue. This is the reason that several nations in the world have either prohibited or limited the use of this chemical hundreds of years ago.
Pesticides such as DDT in India come under the control of the Insecticides Act, 1968. This legislation provides the power to the authorities to prohibit or limit any substance that may pose a risk to humans, animals, or the environment. Plain and simple!
As per the updated (March 2024) declaration from the Government of India, DDT usage in farming has been banned. Yes, straight up banned! That means farmers are not permitted to use DDT on any crop. However, a point exception exists in the field of public health.
So, to summarize it clearly: