How time flies—and how some things never change. Fourteen months later, the moratorium looks to have been a clever red herring before ushering in GM foods on Indian dining tables. For, there's a distinct impression that it will be lifted soon.
The sentiment came to the fore at the recently held review meetings on the issue by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). Invitees to the meetings, including experts and civil society members, have had no clear sense of what has been done to address public and scientific concerns that led to the imposition of the moratorium in the first place. “The kind of corporate agenda this government has, it's a foregone conclusion that it will be lifted before too long. They are going slow only because the Supreme Court is also watching," remarked Parshuram Ray of the Centre for Environment and Food Security.
Of course, there are pressures. The ministers of agriculture, science and technology and HRD had opposed Jairam's decision even then. Prof P.M. Bhargava, biotechnology expert and SC nominee in the GEAC, concedes, “It appears there is pressure on the GEAC to lift the moratorium." That Jairam himself has acknowledged the pressure, having given way in recent cases like POSCO, the Maheshwar hydel power project and the Navi Mumbai airport, doesn't help matters. Despite repeated requests, he wouldn't speak to Outlook for this story. Read the full report here.
Source: Lola Nayar, Outlook India.
