Stir in Delhi to oppose GM mustard

Activists have been opposing the approval for GM Mustard and have upped the ante against the "unscientific" appraisal process

Representatives of over 120 organisations from 20 states will congregate at Jantar Mantar next week to demand a ban on the commercial release of GM mustard.

Leaders from various political parties, major farmer unions, trade unions, honey industry, scientists and other civil society are expected to join the protest.

Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) alleged the regulatory body for gene technology in India, Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), is moving ahead with the approval processes without publishing the full bio-safety data or giving adequate time for independent scrutiny of an expert committee report on GM mustard.

They said the Supreme Court is also hearing two petitions that seek to stop GM mustard approval.

Said Kavitha Kuruganti of Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), "Citizens from 20 states representing more than 25 large national organisations and more than 120 state-level bodies will congregate in Jantar Mantar on October 25 to press home their demand for an immediate ban on GM mustard and other such GMOs."

Some of the organisations which will take part in the protest include All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Azadi Bachao Andolan, Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch, Coalition for a GM-Free India, Confederation of Beekeeping Industry of India and Greenpeace India among others.

Kuruganti said more than 10 organisations from Gujarat are also expected to take part in the protest.

Some activists, including those from ASHA, have been opposing the approval for GM Mustard and have upped the ante against the "unscientific" appraisal process.

GEAC had constituted a sub-committee to review the technical details and dossier related to the environmental release of Genetically Engineered Mustard.

The report was uploaded on the Ministry's website inviting comments from various stakeholders till October 5.

After receiving hundreds of comments from various stakeholders, the Ministry had forwarded it to the sub- committee which after studying it will submit its final report to the biotech regulator, GEAC.