Panel meets but no decision on GM mustard, activists protest

“We are not taking any decision on the matter (of GM mustard) on Friday,” a senior Environment Ministry official said. The ministry’s Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is authorised to approve the use of genetically modified crops or organisms in the country. 

The protesters, who staged a dharna outside the ministry under the banner ‘Sarson Satyagrah’, also submitted a petition to Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar asking the government not to go ahead with its plan to commercialise GM mustard. 

Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra also joined the protesters. “The Environment Minister has assured us that no permission to GM Mustard will be given in today’s meeting. They have also given an assurance to us that they will hold a consultative meeting with us before taking any decision on the matter,” said Kavitha Kuruganti of Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), which is also part of ‘Sarson Satyagrah’. 

She said the minister had also stated that a representation from the Health Ministry in the GEAC would be included as the matter is directly related to the public health.  “There has always been a demand from the consumers to include a representation from the Health Ministry in the GEAC so that the impact of GM crops on human health are checked. They have finally agreed to it,” Kuruganti said. The protesters also alleged that the processes undertaken by the regulators were actually defying Supreme Court and Central Information Commission orders in terms of transparency. 

“It is indeed unacceptable that despite so much objection from citizens and even state governments, the GEAC is going ahead with the secretive processes in the business as usual manner. This is all the more surprising when the government talks about transparency, accountability, good governance and federal polity constantly,” she said.