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The Modi government will not rush into approving GMO field trials

EXCERPT: The members of the SJM and the BKS cited reports by a parliamentary standing committee on agriculture and a Supreme Court-appointed "Technical Expert Committee" to demand that the decision on going ahead with the field trials be deferred.

Decision on field trials of genetically-modified crops put on hold

Reported by Akhilesh Sharma, written by Devesh Kumar

NDTV, July 29, 2014
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/decision-on-field-trials-of-genetically-modified-crops-put-on-hold-567277

The Narendra Modi government today gave in to pressure from Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), affiliates of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or the RSS, to put on hold a decision granting approval for field trials of genetically-modified (GM) crops.

A delegation of the two organisations, part of the wider RSS family, met Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar today to register their protest against the go-ahead given by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) on July 18 to field trials of 15 GM crops, including rice, mustard, cotton, chickpea, and brinjal.

The Environment Minister, a statement issued later by the SJM said, assured that "the decision about field trials of GM crops had been put on hold".

The members of the SJM and the BKS cited reports by a parliamentary standing committee on agriculture and a Supreme Court-appointed "Technical Expert Committee" to demand that the decision on going ahead with the field trials be deferred.

The standing committee, in its reported tabled in Parliament on August 9 last year, had, the SJM pointed out, clearly recommended "the stopping of all field trials under any garb". The experts committee set up on the Top Court's directive, in its final report, also came out against holding field trials "until a robust regulatory mechanism is put in place", the statement added.

The GEAC's decision to allow field trials of 15 GM crops had also been criticised by parties such the DMK, and activists opposed to the introduction of such crops in India. In a statement issued last week, DMK chief M Karunanidhi said, "Even during the UPA government, they had revoked their approval given to cultivate Bt brinjal, following strong protests against it. So, the BJP government should immediately intervene in this issue and revoke their approval given for field trials of GM crops."