{"id":41672,"date":"2024-07-24T08:48:51","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T03:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=41672"},"modified":"2025-10-07T15:40:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T10:10:40","slug":"supreme-courts-split-verdict-on-permission-for-gm-mustard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/supreme-courts-split-verdict-on-permission-for-gm-mustard\/","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court\u2019s Split Verdict on Permission for GM Mustard"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in the News?<\/li>\n<li>About Genetically Modified (GM) Crops<\/li>\n<li>Regulations w.r.t. GM Crops in India<\/li>\n<li>About GM Mustard<\/li>\n<li>News Summary<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why in the News?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Supreme Court on July 23 pronounced a split verdict on the validity of the Centre\u2019s 2022 decision granting conditional approval for environmental release of genetically modified (GM) mustard crops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>About Genetically Modified (GM) Crops<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/genetically-modified-crops\/\" target=\"_blank\">Genetically Modified (GM) crops<\/a> are plants whose <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/dna\/\" target=\"_blank\">DNA<\/a> has been altered through genetic engineering techniques to introduce desirable traits.\n<ul>\n<li>These traits may include resistance to pests, diseases, or environmental conditions, improved nutritional content, or increased yield.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Unlike traditional crossbreeding methods, genetic modification allows for the direct manipulation of a plant\u2019s genetic material, often incorporating genes from different species to achieve specific results.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Benefits of GM Crops:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Increased Yield:<\/strong> GM crops can produce higher yields, contributing to food security.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pest and Disease Resistance:<\/strong> Crops can be engineered to be resistant to specific pests and diseases, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Herbicide Tolerance:<\/strong> Some GM crops are designed to withstand certain herbicides, making weed control more effective.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enhanced Nutritional Content:<\/strong> Crops can be modified to contain higher levels of essential nutrients, addressing malnutrition in developing countries.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Environmental Benefits:<\/strong> Reduced need for chemical inputs can lower the environmental impact of agriculture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Concerns \/ Controversies w.r.t. GM Crops:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Environmental Impact: <\/strong>There is ongoing debate about the potential for GM crops to affect non-target species and lead to a reduction in biodiversity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Health Concerns: <\/strong>While extensive research indicates that GM foods are safe to eat, public concern about potential long-term health effects persists.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Economic Issues: <\/strong>GM seeds are often patented, leading to concerns about corporate control over the food supply and the economic impact on small-scale farmers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ethical and Labeling Issues: <\/strong>There are ethical debates surrounding the manipulation of genetic material, and many advocate for clear labeling of GM products to inform consumer choice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Regulations w.r.t. GM Crops in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The adoption and regulation of GM crops vary globally. In some countries, GM crops are widely grown and consumed, while others have stringent regulations or outright bans.<\/li>\n<li>In India, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change oversees all activities, operations, and products associated with genetically modified organisms.<\/li>\n<li>These are regulated under the <strong>Environment (Protection) Act, 1986<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/geac\/\" target=\"_blank\">Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)<\/a>, part of MoEFCC, has the authority to review, monitor, and approve all GMO-related activities, including import, export, transportation, manufacture, use, and sale.\n<ul>\n<li>GEAC is a statutory body established under the Environment Act.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Additionally, GM foods must comply with the regulations set by the <strong>Food Safety and Standards Authority of India<\/strong> (FSSAI).<\/li>\n<li>Currently, <strong>cotton is the only GM crop approved for commercial cultivation in India<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>About GM Mustard<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In 2023, the GEAC had recently given the green light for the commercial cultivation of genetically modified mustard.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dhara Mustard Hybrid<\/strong> (DMH-11), created by scientists at Delhi University, employs genes from soil bacteria to make mustard, typically a self-pollinating plant, more suitable for hybridization than traditional methods.<\/li>\n<li>The GEAC approved &#8220;the environmental release of mustard hybrid DMH-11 for seed production and testing in accordance with existing ICAR guidelines and other applicable regulations prior to its commercial release.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>News Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on the Centre&#8217;s 2022 decisions regarding the environmental release of the genetically modified mustard hybrid DMH-11 for seed production and testing. The case was heard by Justices B V Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Petitions:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The court was responding to pleas by activist Aruna Rodrigues and the NGO &#8216;Gene Campaign,&#8217; which called for a moratorium on the release of any GMOs into the environment until a comprehensive, transparent, and rigorous biosafety protocol is publicly available and conducted by independent experts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Divergent Opinions:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Justice Nagarathna:<\/strong> She deemed the October 18 and 25, 2022, decisions of the GEAC invalid due to the absence of a health department member and the absence of eight members from the meeting.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Justice Karol:<\/strong> He found no manifest arbitrariness in the GEAC decisions and stated that field trials should proceed with strict safeguards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Next Steps:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The bench referred the matter to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud for further adjudication by the appropriate bench.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>National Policy on GM Crops:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Both justices agreed on the <strong>need for a national policy on Genetically Modified (GM) crops<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>They directed the Centre to consult all stakeholders and experts within four months to formulate this policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q1. What is the basic difference between DNA and RNA?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>DNA is a double-stranded molecule that has a long chain of nucleotides. RNA is a single-stranded molecule which has a shorter chain of nucleotides. DNA replicates on its own, it is self-replicating. RNA does not replicate on its own.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q2. What is Genetic Engineering in simple terms?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Genetic engineering (also called genetic modification) is a process that uses laboratory-based technologies to alter the DNA makeup of an organism. This may involve changing a single base pair (A-T or C-G), deleting a region of DNA or adding a new segment of DNA.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/sc-delivers-split-verdict-on-nod-for-gm-mustard\/article68438360.ece#:~:text=Photo%20Credit%3A%20REUTERS-,The%20Supreme%20Court%20on%20July%2023%20pronounced%20a%20split%20verdict,modified%20(GM)%20mustard%20crops\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Supreme Court delivers split verdict on nod for GM mustard<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/india\/sc-gives-split-verdict-on-pleas-challenging-environmental-release-of-gm-mustard\/articleshow\/111950826.cms?from=mdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ET<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Genetically Modified crops are plants whose DNA has been altered through genetic engineering.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":41673,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-41672","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}