What is the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)?

About Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC):

• It is the statutory committee constituted under the “Rules for the Manufacture, Use/Import/Export and Storage of Hazardous Micro Organisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells (Rules, 1989)” framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. 
• It was earlier called the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, which was changed to Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee in the year 2010.
• It functions in the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
• The functions of GEAC as prescribed in the Rules 1989 are as follows:
  • To appraise activities involving large-scale use of hazardous microorganisms and recombinants in research and industrial production from the environmental angle.
  • To appraise proposals relating to the release of genetically engineered organisms and products into the environment, including experimental field trials.
  • The committee or any persons authorized by it has powers to take punitive action under the Environment Protection Act.
• It keeps a check on the use, import, and export of genetically modified (GM) organisms and crops. 
• Clearance of GEAC is mandatory for the environmental releaseof GM crops.
• Composition:
  • GEAC is chaired by the Special Secretary/Additional Secretary of MoEF&CC and co-chaired by a representative from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
  • Presently, it has 24 members and meets every month. The members comprise experts from other ministries as well as institutions such as the ICAR, ICMR, CCMB, and so on.

New Rules Governing the Selection of Experts:

• Under the new rules, an “expert member” ought to be disclosing their “interest” that could conflict with their duties.
• The expert is also expected to take all steps necessary to ensure that any conflict of interest not affect any decision of the GEAC.
• An expert member with any direct or indirect association with a matter being discussed in a meeting of the committee is obliged to disclose this prior to the meeting.
• Unless specifically requested by the committee, the expert is expected to recuse their selves from the meeting.
• All selected members would also have to fill out a form detailing their professional affiliations to a decade prior to joining the committee.

Q1: What is genetic modification (GM) of crops and how is it done?

GM is a technology that involves inserting DNA into the genome of an organism. To produce a GM plant, new DNA is transferred into plant cells. Usually, the cells are then grown in tissue culture where they develop into plants. The seeds produced by these plants will inherit the new DNA. 

Source: TH