IndiaGMInfo

BRIEFING PAPERS The Coalition for a GM-Free India, after putting out a Briefing Paper on Delhi University's GM Mustard in June 2015 has now revised it based on RTI information received. You can download a Revised Briefing Paper (July 2015) in english here. A hindi version of the briefing paper is available here: ... Continue Reading

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE SOFT COPY OF "ADVERSE IMPACTS OF TRANSGENIC CROPS/FOODS - A COMPILATION OF SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES WITH ABSTRACTS" here. The debate around GMOs in our food, farming and environment has only been increasing over time, whether it is in policy circles or in the scientific world, or as a public debate. ... Continue Reading

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: GM Free India <indiagmfree@gmail.com> Date: 14 May 2018 at 16:02 Subject: GEAC's 134th meeting minutes - our serious concerns regarding the same To: sujata@nic.in, cm.krishna@gov.in, akmehta@nic.in Cc: geac.secretariat@gov.in, gyanesh.bharti@ias.nic.in, Madhumita Biswas <mbiswas2012in@gmail.com>, membersecretarygeac@gmail.com, kveluthambi@rediffmail.com, crb26@hotmail.com, sesikeran B <sesikeran@gmail.com>, nppbg@pau.edu, kk.sinha@nic.in, srrao@dbt.nic.in, aptesk@barc.gov.in, ddgcs.icar@nic.in, js_sandhuin@yahoo.com, kumarv@icmr.org.in, sonti@ccmb.res.in, Swati_sri_2002@yahoo.com, ppa@nic.in, ccb.cpcb@nic.in, jsseeds-agri@nic.in, ... Continue Reading

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: GM Free India <indiagmfree@gmail.com> Date: 7 May 2018 at 08:29 Subject: Our comment on Draft Notice on Food Safety & Standards (labelling and display) Regulations 2018 To: regulation@fssai.gov.in To: Shri Pawan Kumar Agarwal Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, 3rd Floor,  FDA Bhawan, Kotla Road, New Delhi – 110002 Email: regulation@fssai.gov.in   Subject: Notice ... Continue Reading

New Delhi, May 2nd2018: Continuing the complaint-forwarding chain, Ministry of Commerce & Industry’s Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has asked Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to take actions on the illegal Genetically Modified (GM) seed import taking ... Continue Reading

With regard to GM foods found to be available in India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court last year (May 2017), wherein, on Page 9, it said "Hence, GM foods are not allowed in the country and neither can be ... Continue Reading

GEAC and DGFT prove to be irresponsible regulators “By not preventing illegal genetically modified seeds from entering the country, our regulators continue to dodge their responsibilities - jeopardizing environment and health of citizens” New Delhi, March 6th 2018: A recent complaint lodged with the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) and a Right ... Continue Reading

This is our complaint letter to GEAC regarding GM soybean LMO import in India. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To:   Shri Arun Kumar Mehta, The Chairperson, Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), Ministry for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, Jor Bagh, New Delhi – 110001 January 31st 2018   Subject: Urgent action demanded on illegal GM soybean (LMOs) being imported into India   Dear Sir,   Greetings! ... Continue Reading

GM soybean seeds and food material is being imported illegally in India. Below is our complaint letter to DGFT regarding illegal import of GM soybean seeds and GM food material. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- To:   Director General of Foreign Trade, Udyog Bhawan, H-Wing, Gate No-02, Maulana Azad Road, New Delhi - 110001 31st January 2018   Subject: Complaint on import of GMOs and GM foods ... Continue Reading

Civil society representatives were called to a meeting of a new Committee called FISEC (Field Inspection and Scientific Evaluation Committee) which was set up at the PMO's behest to look into illegal GM HT cotton cultivation in India. There have been years and years of inaction on this by our ... Continue Reading

“Urgent action to fix liability on regulators as well as seed suppliers, while ensuring that farmers are not criminalised in any way”, say GM-Free activists (Hindi press release downloadable here) New Delhi, November 6th 2017: Reacting to a new major development in the GM crop controversy, after illegal GM soy cultivation was ... Continue Reading

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: GM Free India <indiagmfree@gmail.com> Date: 26 October 2017 at 13:49 Subject: Our thanks to GEAC, for running the Great Indian Circus in the name of GMO regulation To: geac.secretariat@gov.in, asap.moefcc@gov.in, gyanesh.bharti@ias.nic.in, Madhumita Biswas <mbiswas2012in@gmail.com>, membersecretarygeac@gmail.com Cc: kveluthambi@rediffmail.com, crb26@hotmail.com, sesikeran B <sesikeran@gmail.com>, nppbg@pau.edu, kk.sinha@nic.in, srrao@dbt.nic.in, aptesk@barc.gov.in, ddgcs.icar@nic.in, js_sandhuin@yahoo.com, kumarv@icmr.org.in, sonti@ccmb.res.in, Swati_sri_2002@yahoo.com, ... Continue Reading

Coalition notes that Centre is not rushing headlong into GM mustard environmental release: “We need responsible science to prevail given solid evidence against GM mustard”   New Delhi, September 15th 2017: Reacting to the Government of India’s statement in the Supreme Court of India today that it is yet to take a ... Continue Reading

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: GM Free India <indiagmfree@gmail.com> Date: 11 September 2017 at 14:17 Subject: Response to NAAS's report "Falsehoods perpetrated by GM technology bashers on GM mustard" To: naas@vsnl.com Cc: panjabsingh03@yahoo.com, drhrshvardhan@gmail.com, ps2mefcc@gov.in Dear NAAS scientists, Please find pasted below, and attached a response from the Coalition for a GM-Free India, to your report flashing ... Continue Reading

  New Delhi, August 31st 2017: At a time when the highly-controversial and hazardous transgenic technology is sought to be applied to Mustard, citing India’s edible oil import crisis, farmers from a few states came to the national capital to present from first-hand experience how rapeseed-mustard yields can be boosted substantially, ... Continue Reading

New Delhi, August 26th 2017: Reacting to the 301st report of the Parliamentary Committee on Science & Technology, Environment & Forests headed by Ms Renuka Chowdhury on GM crops in India, the Coalition for a GM-free India pointed out that it is no coincidence that credible committees are asking for ... Continue Reading

The Coalition for a GM Free India registers with great sadness the demise of scientist Dr Pushpa Mittra Bhargava (1928 – 2017) yesterday in Hyderabad. The Coalition members express our deep sorrow at the passing of Prof Bhargava and pay profound and respectful tribute to the man and to the ... Continue Reading