Drumstick is grown for pod as well as foliage yield and it is mainly attacked by leaf eating caterpillar Noorda blitealis Walker. Ten insecticides were tested against the defoliator, N. blitealis.  Indoxacarb 15.8 EC @ 0.3 ml/l, emamectin benzoate 5 SG @ 0.25 g/l and fipronil 5 SC @ 1 ml/l were effective throughout the period of investigation being on par with each other but superior over thiodicarb 75 WP @ 2 g/l, NSKE  @ 5%, Beauveria bassiana 1.15 SP @ 2 g/l, deltamethrin 2.8 EC @ 0.5 ml/l, malathion 50 EC @ 2 ml/l and dichlorvos 76 EC @ 0.5 ml/l. Significantly maximum leaf yield was obtained from the treatments indoxacarb 15.8 EC @ 0.3 ml/l, emamectin benzoate 5 SG @ 0.25 g/l and fipronil 5 SC @ 1 ml/l (28.55, 27.60 and 27.45 t/ha, respectively). The next best treatments were deltamethrin 2.8 EC @ 0.5 ml/l (18.63 t/ha), malathion 50 EC @ 2 ml/l (18.55 t/ha) and NSKE @ 5% (19.02 t/ha) and were on par with each other. The treatment indoxacarb 15.8 EC @ 0.3 ml/l recorded maximum additional yield (174 t/ha). Net return was highest in the treatment indoxacarb 15.8 EC @ 0.3 ml/l (` v87000 /ha). However, the higher incremental cost benefit ratio of 84.64 was obtained from the malathion 50 EC @ 2 ml/l followed by fipronil 5 SC @ 1 ml/l  (71.25) and deltamethrin 2.8  EC @ 0.5 ml/l  (56.81).