A Mi-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force on Sunday sprayed pesticides over large swathes of desert land in Rajasthan, boosting locust control operations as India battles its worst-ever attack of the marauding pests in three decades.
A private helicopter, hired by the Agriculture Ministry, had started locust control operations on Saturday carrying out its first sortie in the desert areas of Banda in Jaisalmer.
The IAF chopper carried out aerial spraying of pesticides in Jodhpur district on Sunday, the first such instance in the history of the air force, an agriculture ministry official said.
India is facing the worst-ever locust attacks in three decades. Swarms of the marauding pests have been witnessed in various districts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
