GM MUSTARD

  • The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Union government if there was a “compelling reason” for it to press ahead with the release of GM mustard, asking if Indian agriculture would be “doomed” if genetically modified crops were not made available.
  • “Is there a compelling reason to release this hybrid DMH-11 [Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11] now… Can you not take into account bringing more safeguards, safety measures, experimentation, consultation and consider releasing it at a later stage after gaining a better understanding of it…
  • Why we are asking you this is it is said the release now would permanently and irreparably affect the environment,” Justice B.V. Nagarathna told Attorney-General R. Venkataramani and Additional Solicitor- General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the government.
  • The court’s question came a day after petitioners argued that the regulatory system under the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), which cleared the environmental release of DMH-11, a genetically engineered variant of mustard, was “horrendous” and riddled with conflict of interest.
  • Advocate Prashant Bhushan, for petitioner-activist Aruna Rodrigues, questioned the need to use GM mustard when India was home to 5,477 varieties of mustard.
  • Venkataramani dismissed the need to look for a “compelling reason” as an argument based on ideology.
  • He said the government had taken a policy decision. A regulatory process had been put in place. The review of the GM crop had been undertaken minutely over a lengthy period of time.
  • There were no shortcuts taken to nudge an environmental clearance. “After you cross a certain stage, when your anxieties and doubts have been by and large resolved, there is no question of a compelling reason,” Mr. Venkataramani submitted.
  • Justice Nagarathna said the court’s questions were based on the Indian context.
  • Venkataramani said it would be a “different story if everything is left entirely in the hands of farmers”. He reiterated that the question before the court was not the “compelling reason” behind the GM crop policy but only the process of review and testing involved. “To say the government is blind to the Indian context is something very far-fetched,” Mr. Venkataramani submitted.
  • Justice Dinesh Maheshwari said the Supreme Court’s Technical Expert Committee (TEC) had said GM crops were not meant for Indian agriculture.

SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB

About ChinmayaIAS Academy - Current Affairs

Check Also

What to do with spent nuclear fuel?

Syllabus:  Alternate fuel Context: Japan has started releasing treated radioactive water from the beleaguered Fukushima …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Free Updates to Crack the Exam!
Subscribe to our Newsletter for free daily updates