New Delhi: With his ministerial colleagues
and experts expressing reservation on moratorium on
Bt-brinjal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has convened a
meeting of concerned ministers on the issue this week.
Singh has convened a meeting of Agriculture Minister
Sharad Pawar, Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj
Chavan and Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.
"The meeting is expected to take place this week," a PMO
official said.
The meeting follows concerns raised by Pawar and Chavan on
the moratorium of Bt-brinjal announced by Ramesh after public
consultations.
The agriculture ministry feels there is no alternative to
transgenic crops.
Chavan had maintained that the Bt-brinjal, banned by the
environment ministry, was "safe for all".
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Pawar contended that
the moratorium could prove to be a setback to research in the
crucial area and pitched for "clarity" on the issue.
He wanted clarity on the authority responsible for
granting final clearance to genetically modified crops and
noted that the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC)
had approved the commercial cultivation of Bt-brinjal. Chavan
also had a similar opinion.
Reports of the Prime Minister stepping in taking a final
decision on GM crops was criticised by eco-activists.
"Pawar is trying to pressurise the Prime Minister to undo
the moratorium on Bt-brinjal," claimed Vandana Shiva, who runs
an NGO Navdanya.
Shiva alleged at a press conference that Pawar had
earlier tried to influence the decision of the GEAC, that
cleared Bt brinjal for commercial cultivation in the country
in October 2009.
This apart, she voiced her concern over the government`s
efforts to "de-regulate" the biotechnology industry by
enacting a new law, that aims to introduce the Biotechnology
Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI).
"The proposed BRAI will de-regulate biotechnology and
put GM crops approval on a fast track," she claimed.
On February 9, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had
turned down permission to begin commercial cultivation of Bt
brinjal after the result of the public hearings, saying that
tests certifying the product on health and environment grounds
were inadequate.
Bureau Report
