ARITRA BHATTACHARYA | Mumbai, A report prepared by the technical subcommitee of the country's top biotechnology regular - Genetic Engineering Appraisal Commitee (GEAC) - Says genetically modified mustard is "safe for human and animal health" and does not threaten biodiversity.

 

The 133-page report titled "Assessment of Food and Environmental Safety (AFES)" made public on 5 September has triggered trenchant criticism by several activists, farm organisations, academics and civil society bodies experts.

PNS | New Delhi, The country may be inching closer to approving the use of Genetically-Modified (GM) mustard crop, the first of its kind, after the Environment Ministry put up its report on public domain seeking comments from experts and stake holders.

 

While the technical sub-committee constituted by Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under Environment Ministry, ruled that its consumption was safe for human and animal health, anti- GM activists have demanded that the full bio safety data should be put out into the public domain at the earliest if this feedback process has to be a meaningful and scientific.

NEW DELHI: Civil society groups Tuesday raised serious concerns over environment ministry subcommittee report giving go ahead to GM Mustard, saying the health and environment assessment report is not sufficient to reach at a conclusion as details of the study protocols or data generated has not been put in public domain for independent scientific scrutiny.

 

The Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) wrote a letter to Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave and ministry’s genetic approval committee head, saying the decision was taken in hurry after two meetings in 15 days' time, with the third meeting on August 11.

Press Trust of India | New Delhi, Anti-GM activists today accused GEAC, the country's biotech regulator, of undertaking a "meaningless" process, after a risk assessment report of genetically modified mustard was put into public domain which claimed that it did not pose any risk to biodiversity or agro-ecosystem.

 

Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) had constituted a sub-committee of scientific experts to examine the biosafety data on GM mustard. After the committee examined it, the report was placed on the Environment Ministry's website yesterday inviting comments from stakeholders within a period of 30 days before the biotech regulator took a decision.

देश के सरसों की आखिरी चंद सांसें बाकी

ब्लॉग की शुरुआत में कपिल मिश्रा ने लिखा है कि 'देश के सरसों की आखिरी चंद सांसें बाकी हैं. GM बीज कृषि से लेकर किसान, स्वास्थ्य और पर्यावरण के लिए खतरा है. आखिर वही होने जा रहा है जिसका डर था. जिन खतरनाक GM बीजों के खिलाफ सारा भारत सड़कों पर उतर गया था, कांग्रेस सरकार के जयराम रमेश की जन सुनवाइयों में ये स्पष्ट हो गया था कि देश के किसान, देश के उपभोक्ता, दुनिया भर के वैज्ञानिक और खाद्य सुरक्षा तथा पर्यावरण को समझने वाले सभी लोग GM बीजों को असुरक्षित मानते है. अस्वीकार करते है.'

The environment ministry’s decision to place the safety assessment report in public follows an order from the Central Information Commission last month.

 

New Delhi: Setting the stage for the approval of the contentious genetically modified (GM) mustard, the environment ministry on Monday placed in the public domain a safety assessment report prepared by a subcommittee under the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).

 

According to the report, GM mustard technology has been found to be “safe for food/feed and environment” following an assessment of detailed bio-safety data submitted by the technology developer, Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, Delhi University.

Vishwa Mohan & Dipak K Dash | TNN | NEW DELHI: A technical agency of the central government has ruled the consumption of genetically modified (GM) mustard "safe for human and animal health", adding that it "does not pose any threat" to biodiversity.

 

The environment ministry posted the report on its website on Monday, asking for comments from the public before Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) takes the final decision on GM mustard. Comments can be submitted till October 5. The GEAC grants approval for GM products' release into the environment.

NEW DELHI, Even as genetically-modified mustard came a step closer to becoming the first food crop in India to be approved for commercial production after a panel of scientists said it poses no risk to humans, civil society organisations have demanded that the Centre put up the full bio-safety data — and not just the assessment report — on the crop in the public domain to make the feedback process meaningful and scientific.

 

The oilseed does not raise any public health or safety concerns on human beings and animals with respect to overall nutritional characteristics, the panel said in a document posted on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Changes website. It is highly unlikely to invade natural ecosystems and poses a negligible risk to biodiversity and agriculture productivity, it said. The oilseed has been developed by the University of Delhi since 2003.

Kavitha, हरियाणा के 15 जिलों के प्रबुद्ध नागरिकों, कृषि वैज्ञानिकों, किसान संगठनों एवं उपभोक्ताओं ने हरियाणा के मुख्य मंत्री और कृषि मंत्री को भेजे ज्ञापन में उनसे अपील की है कि वे यह सुनिश्चित करें की किसानों और उपभोक्ताओं पर जीएम सरसों न थोपी जाय। पिछले कुछ वर्षों से हरियाणा ने जीएम फसलों को परीक्षण हेतु भी राज्य में लगाने की अनुमति नहीं दी है परंतु अगर जीएम सरसों का बीज एक बार बाज़ार में आ जाता है तो हरियाणा सरकार की जीएम को बढ़ावा न देने की नीति प्रभावहीन हो जाएगी। उपभोक्ता के पास भी जीएम सरसों और गैर-जीएम सरसों के बीच चुनाव करने का कोई मौका नहीं रहेगा क्योंकि दोनों को अलग अलग रखना असंभव है। जैविक किसानों के लिए तो जीएम सरसों के अनुमोदन का अर्थ होगा जैविक किसानी की तत्काल निर्मम हत्या क्योंकि भारत सहित पूरी दुनिया में जैविक खेती में जीएम फ़सलों के प्रयोग पर कानूनन रोक है। परन्तु एक बार जीएम बीज पर्यावरण में फैलने के बाद जैविक किसानों का इस से बच पाना नामुमकिन है। जब पड़ोस में जीएम फ़सलों को बोया जा रहा हो तो कानूनी रूप से भी और वास्तव में भी जैविक खेती संभव नहीं है क्योंकि इन जीएम फ़सलों द्वारा अन्य क़िस्मों का सम्मिश्रण/प्रदूषण अवश्यंभावी है।

Reuters | New Delhi, This is seen critical to Modi's goal of attaining self-sufficiency in edible oils as currently govt spends arounf $12 bn annually on vegetable oil imports

 

The government will soon make public its stance on allowing the commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) mustard — what could be its first transgenic food crop - and “ideology” will not influence the decision, a minister said.