NEW DELHI, However, multiple clearances are still required

 

Genetically-modified (GM) mustard may have moved closer to being cleared for commercial cultivation in India after a key committee, tasked with assessing all the available evidence so far on the plant’s suitability for Indian soil and risks posed to health and ecology, is learnt to have given a favourable assessment on the tests done so far on GM mustard. However there are multiple approvals still required for any likely clearance.

 

Multiple sources told The Hindu that a document — called a safety document — detailing the sub-committee’s findings as well as the data it had perused in assessing DMH-11, the genetically modified (GM) mustard hybrid developed by researchers at the Delhi University, would be made available online for public comments next week.

Expert committee could recommend it as soon as September

 

Nitin Sethi | New Delhi

 

The green nod for commercially cultivating genetically-modified (GM) mustard has reached the penultimate stage, with a technical sub-committee of the Union environment ministry giving a positive report on it. The nod from the statutory Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) of the government could come as soon as September.

 

If the GEAC does recommend the cultivation of the first GM food crop to be grown in the country in the September meeting, as sources said was likely, it would require only a political approval from the environment minister for the crop to be commercially released.

KumKum Dasgupta, The Central Information Commission, which was set up under the Right to Information Act in 2005, did not mince words on Tuesday when it directed the ministry of environment, forest and climate change to reveal safety data regarding trials of genetically modified (GM) mustard without further delay, noting that “any attempt to postpone or delay the disclosure will block the public discussion” on the controversial issue.

 

In his order, information commissioner M Sridhar Acharyulu said that the information sought is of “high public importance, concerning public health, and it should have been in (the) public domain”.

TNN | Bhubaneswar: Farmer representatives on Sunday urged the state government to write to the Centre against approval of genetically modified (GM) mustard crop in the country.

 

Speaking at a state-level meeting on the ill-effects of GM crop on health and environment, co-convener of Coalition for GM-free India Kavitha Kuruganti said the state government had acted proactively against bt brinjal in 2009-10 by expressing its concern to the Centre. "We want immediate intervention of the state government in the case of GM mustard as the Centre would take a decision on this soon," she added.

CHENNAI, Citizen groups and unions representing farmers have urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to write to the Centre against approving genetically modified (GM) mustard in India. The GM mustard is like a Trojan horse waiting to attack, they said.

 

The Government of India plans to approve GM mustard (three different types) developed by the Delhi University. The application for approval is at an advanced stage of processing by the Indian regulators.

CIC says any attempt to delay the disclosure will block public debate on the controversial issue

 

New Delhi: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the environment ministry to reveal safety data regarding trials of genetically modified (GM) mustard without further delay, noting that “any attempt to postpone or delay the disclosure will block the public discussion” on the controversial issue.

NEW DELHI, The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has once again been pulled up for withholding information from the public by the Central Information Commission (CIC). The CIC has further issued a show cause notice against two public information officers with the Ministry for violating Right to Information.

 

The Commission, on Friday, once again took up the case against the GEAC, which falls under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and called the committee out for making ‘excuses’ and being ‘unreasonable’.