Advocating for free treatment for patients, MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, Rajya Sabha (upper house) has raised urgent concerns in the Indian Parliament about the rising number of cancer-related deaths in Panjab and across India. Referencing data from the National Cancer Registry Program under the Indian Council of Medical Research, he revealed that India recorded 1.4M new cancer cases in 2022, with media estimates indicating approximately 4,109 new cases daily. Seechewal noted, ‘The death of a patient due to a lack of treatment or money raises serious questions about our healthcare system.’ Stressing that existing financial aid for cancer treatment is insufficient, he noted the death toll of the disease, which claimed 790K lives nationwide in 2021, rising to 900K in 2022. Meanwhile, despite being banned and restricted in many countries, the highly toxic herbicide paraquat dichloride continues to be widely used in India, especially in Panjab, for weeding, grass control, and pre-harvest crop drying. Commonly deployed to dry crops like moong (green gram) and maize, paraquat is damaging to humans, animals, and the environment. Against medical advice from the Anupam Verma Committee, which reviewed paraquat among 66 foreign-banned or restricted pesticides, India allowed its continued use under stricter guidelines. At the same time, The Ministry of Jal Shakti (Water Resources) has urged states to reassess policies on free or subsidised electricity for farmers and adopt measures like crop rotation and diversification to reduce groundwater reliance. Groundwater extraction has reached 136% in Haryana and 164% in Panjab.
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