{"id":45457,"date":"2025-03-22T10:48:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T05:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=45457"},"modified":"2025-05-06T20:25:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T14:55:48","slug":"indias-push-for-gm-food-crops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indias-push-for-gm-food-crops\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Push for GM Food Crops: Progress Amid Legal Scrutiny"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>GM Food Crops Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Background: The GM Mustard Controversy<\/li>\n<li>Significance of GM Mustard<\/li>\n<li>Government\u2019s Stand on GM Crops<\/li>\n<li>Supreme Court Proceedings and Split Verdict<\/li>\n<li>Concerns Raised by Activist Groups<\/li>\n<li>India\u2019s Growing Bio-Economy and Role of GM Crops<\/li>\n<li>Way Ahead<\/li>\n<li>GM Food Crops in India FAQs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>GM Food Crops Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Ahead of a fresh series of hearings in the Supreme Court next month over genetically modified (GM) food crops, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) said there was \u201cprogress\u201d on this front.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Background: The GM Mustard Controversy<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India\u2019s efforts to promote genetically modified (GM) food crops are once again under national spotlight.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The Supreme Court is scheduled to begin hearings on <strong>April 15, 2025<\/strong>, over petitions challenging the <strong>Environment Ministry\u2019s 2022 approval<\/strong> for the <strong>commercial cultivation of GM mustard<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The debate reflects a <strong>clash between scientific innovation and environmental activism<\/strong>, with the government pushing for biotechnology advancement while activist groups question the safety and ecological impact of GM food crops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Significance of GM Mustard<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>GM mustard is India\u2019s <strong>first genetically modified food crop<\/strong> to receive conditional approval for commercial release by the <strong>Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)<\/strong>\u2014a scientific panel under the Ministry of Environment.<\/li>\n<li>Developed using public funds, the crop was intended to <strong>boost yields and reduce import dependency<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>However, due to <strong>legal challenges and safety concerns<\/strong>, it has not been cultivated commercially.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Government\u2019s Stand on GM Crops<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Speaking at a biotechnology event, <strong>Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Secretary Rajesh Gokhale<\/strong> acknowledged that while the matter is subjudice, <strong>\u201cprogress\u201d is being made<\/strong> on GM food crops.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The DBT, under the <strong>Ministry of Science and Technology<\/strong>, has long funded research into transgenic crops.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh<\/strong> emphasized the importance of embracing innovation, stating,<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThere is so much dynamism in biotechnology development that we cannot look at tomorrow through the prism of today.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>The DBT has also submitted <strong>technical inputs<\/strong> to the Environment Ministry, which is tasked with formulating a <strong>national policy on GM crops<\/strong>, as directed by the Supreme Court in an earlier verdict.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Supreme Court Proceedings and Split Verdict<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In July 2024, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court <strong>delivered a split verdict<\/strong> on the Environment Ministry\u2019s 2022 approval of GM mustard.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The matter was then referred to a larger bench, which will now begin hearings from <strong>April 15, 2025<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The Court has asked all involved parties to submit their written statements before the proceedings begin.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The case is seen as a <strong>landmark moment<\/strong> for India\u2019s future biotechnology and agricultural policies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Concerns Raised by Activist Groups<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Several environmental and farmer groups have strongly opposed GM mustard, citing:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Potential ecological harm<\/strong>, including threats to pollinators like bees.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lack of long-term safety data<\/strong> for human consumption.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Insufficient transparency<\/strong> in the approval process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>These groups argue that GM food crops could disrupt traditional farming systems and compromise <strong>India\u2019s biodiversity and seed sovereignty<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>India\u2019s Growing Bio-Economy and Role of GM Crops<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Despite regulatory hurdles, GM crops play a key role in India&#8217;s <strong>emerging bio-economy<\/strong>, as highlighted in a report released by the DBT.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key Highlights from the Bio-Economy Report (2024):<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India\u2019s total bio-economy value: <strong>$165.7 billion<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Bio-agriculture share: <strong>$13.5 billion<\/strong> (8.1%)<\/li>\n<li>GM crops like Bt Cotton have significantly contributed to increased agricultural productivity.<\/li>\n<li>Bio-industrial sector (biofuels, bioplastics, enzymes): 47% of the total bio-economy<\/li>\n<li>Biopharma: 35%<\/li>\n<li>Bio-IT and research services: 9%<\/li>\n<li>India had 10,075 biotech startups in 2024, expected to grow to 22,500 by 2030, creating 35 million jobs.<\/li>\n<li>Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana lead in bio-economy contributions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Way Ahead<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The future of GM food crops in India depends on:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Judicial clarity<\/strong> on environmental and health concerns.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Policy formulation<\/strong> to balance innovation with biosafety.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Public awareness and stakeholder engagement<\/strong> to address misinformation and mistrust.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>With the <strong>BioE3 policy<\/strong> focusing on creating new agricultural products using biotechnology, GM crops like mustard could be part of India\u2019s long-term strategy for <strong>food security, climate resilience, and global competitiveness<\/strong>\u2014but only if supported by sound legal and ethical frameworks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>GM Food Crops in India FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1. <\/strong>What is GM mustard and why is it significant?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>GM mustard is India\u2019s first genetically modified food crop approved for commercial cultivation, aimed at increasing yield and reducing imports.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> Why is GM mustard facing legal challenges?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>Activist groups have challenged its approval citing safety, environmental, and procedural concerns, prompting Supreme Court intervention.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> What is the government&#8217;s stance on GM crops?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>The government supports biotechnology for agricultural advancement and is developing a national policy on GM food crops.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4. <\/strong>How do GM crops fit into India\u2019s bio-economy?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>GM crops enhance productivity and resilience, contributing to India&#8217;s $165.7 billion bio-economy, especially in bio-agriculture.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5. <\/strong>When will the Supreme Court hear the GM mustard case?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>The hearings are scheduled to begin on April 15, 2025, before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/there-is-progress-on-gm-food-crops-says-dbt\/article69358776.ece#:~:text=Ahead%20of%20a%20fresh%20series,%E2%80%9Cprogress%E2%80%9D%20on%20this%20front.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As India&#8217;s Supreme Court reviews GM mustard petitions, the Department of Biotechnology highlights advances in GM food crops, boosting the nation&#8217;s growing bio-economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":45458,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45457","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\/45457","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=45457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}