Parliamentary Panel suggests to ban GM food crops

Parliamentary Panel suggests to ban GM food crops

-A Parliamentary Panel asked the government to put a halt on all field trials and demanded bar on Genetically Modified (GM) food crops.

-The committee sought probe into how permission was given to commercialize Bt. Brinjal seed when all evaluation tests were not carried out.

-The Panel criticized the government for not discussing the matter in Parliament

-The Panel asserted that the Environment Ministry has not been able to perform its responsibility well and has overlooked the interests of the 70 % small and marginal farmers.

-It criticized the composition and regulatory role of the Genetic Engineering Approval (Appraisal) Committee and the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM).

-It suggested the government to put in place all regulatory, monitoring, oversight and surveillance systems considering conflict of interest of various stakeholders.

-It drew attention towards ethical issues attached to the transgenics in agricultural crops, as well as studies of a long-term environmental and chronic toxicology impact.

-As per the panel, the GM crops didn’t provide any significant socio-economic benefits to farmers. -Instead, farmers have incurred huge debts because of this capital-intensive practice.

-It demanded explanation from the government on how the cotton seed oil extracted from Bt. cotton had gotten into the food chain and what could be the impact on medicinal plants.

-It questioned how the proposed Biotechnology Regulatory Authority could be a promoter of GM crops as well as a regulator.