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With some States putting up strong resistance to allow field trials of GM (genetically modified) crops, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has decided to issue approval letter for field trials only after receiving ‘no objection certificate' (NOC) from the State Governments concerned.
In its meeting held on July 6, the GEAC said the idea was to promote their involvement in activities related to GM crop field trials and factor in their views in this regard.
Non-governmental organisations have welcomed this development.
“It upholds States' right to have a say in activities related to agriculture which is a State subject. It allows greater monitoring by States. All these years, the Centre has beenoverriding on this right, particularly in allowing field trials,” Ms Kavitha Kuruganti, Convenor of Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), told Business Line .
Monsanto trials
With regard to alleged violations of bio-safety norms by Monsanto in its biotech maize trials in Karnataka, the GEAC has decided to ask the State Government to inspect the site and send a report urgently.
It would initiate action, if need be, after studying the report, the panel said in a statement.
Conflict of interest
Keeping in view the criticism of conflict of interests in the GEAC, the committee has adopted new set of norms to address the issue.
It would not allow its members to take part in discussions that scrutinise applications for trials if those members had some role in development of such transgenic plants.
It would also invoke the ‘conflict of interest' clause when a member's spouse or children are involved in the development of such plants.
To begin with, it barred Dr Swapan Datta from the discussion on application to allow event selection trials on transgenic rice by the Department of Botany of Kolkata University. Environmental activists cried foul as Dr Datta and his wife were involved in the project. The committee, however, stood by its earlier decision to allow the trials at the universities Rice Research Station at Chinsurah.
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