Under pressure from non-governmental organisations, scientists and activists, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has extended deadline for submitting feedback on draft guidelines on genetically modified foods to February 5. The earlier deadline had ended on January 15.
Anti-GMO organisations, scientists and farmers appealed to the FSSAI early this month to extend the deadline in order to give more time to stakeholders to submit their views.
Though it extended the deadline, the FSSAI, however, has not responded to the demand for publishing the draft guidelines in vernacular languages.
‘Non-committal’
“It is non-committal on holding widespread consultations all over the country. This limited time extension is insufficient and insignificant,” the Coalition for a GM-Free India has said. “It might be useful to some extent but it does not address what we have been asking for,” it said on Monday.
It felt that some people wanted to keep their food free of genetically modified organisms. It expected the government to hold discussions to seek their views, it said.
The Coalition felt that the draft guidelines should be published in regional languages in order to let people in different States understand the consequences and express their views.
“We urge the Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to intervene in this matter, and not leave this issue of great importance to only the regulatory body FSSAI,” it said.
The Coalition argued that there was no provision for a long-term, comprehensive and independent testing regime in the proposed guidelines.
There was no provision for an independent analysis of data or allowing public scrutiny, it pointed out.