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 regulators incl. state agriculture departments. […]
REGULATORS CAUGHT NAPPING AGAIN, WHILE ILLEGAL GM SOY CULTIVATION STARTS IN INDIA
“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 discovered in Gujarat, […]
Thanks to GEAC, for running the Great Indian Circus in the name of GMO regulation
———- 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, […]
“We need responsible science to prevail given solid evidence against GM mustard”
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 final decision on […]
Coalition responds to NAAS’s “report” in defence of GM mustard
———- 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 […]
IMPROVING INDIA’S RAPESEED – MUSTARD YIELDS SUBSTANTIALLY, SUSTAINABLY & SAFELY
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[i], farmers from a few states came to the national capital to present from first-hand experience how rapeseed-mustard yields can be boosted substantially, deploying safe, sustainable and […]
“Not a coincidence that several credible committees are asking for stopping of introduction of GM crops into India” – Coalition for a GM-Free India
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 stopping of introduction of GM […]
GM-free Coalition pays tribute to Prof.P.M.Bhargava
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 scientist. Dr Bhargava was an […]
“No need to dilly dally on a simple, public interest and promised decision to be taken: Say NO to GM mustard” – Coalition for a GM-Free India to Government of India
New Delhi, July 31st 2017: The Coalition for a GM-free India, a pan-Indian informal alliance of more than 150 organisations, urged the Government of India to reject the GM mustard environmental release application without any further delay. Reacting to the Government’s statement in the Supreme Court that it has not yet taken a policy stand […]
Prominent Economists Write to PM on Environmental Release of GM Mustard
From: Sudarshan Iyengar <sudarshan54@gmail.com> Date: 30 July 2017 at 06:54 Subject: Environmental Release of GM Mustard To: narendramodi1234@gmail.com, connect@mygov.nic.in, indiaportal@gov.in Cc: info@drharshvardhan.com, drhrshvardhan@gmail.com, ps2mefcc@gov.in, rsc-st@sansad.nic.in, am.krishi@nic.in, radhamohansingh@radhamohansingh.com July 29th 2017 To, Hon. Prime Minister, Government of India, South Block, Raisina Hill, New Delhi 110 011. Sub: Environmental Release of GM Mustard Dear Prime Minister, […]
Coalition writes to PM on how “conditional” approval to GM mustard is unfeasible
———- Forwarded message ———- From: GM Free India <indiagmfree@gmail.com> Date: 28 July 2017 at 16:58 Subject: “Conditional Approval” for environmental release of GM mustard To: narendramodi1234@gmail.com, connect@mygov.nic.in, indiaportal@gov.in Cc: info@drharshvardhan.com, drhrshvardhan@gmail.com, ps2mefcc@gov.in, rsc-st@sansad.nic.in,am.krishi@nic.in To: Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. Dear Sir, Sub: Recommendation of a regulatory body for ‘environmental release’ or commercial […]
Eminent doctors of India write to PM asking him to reject the ‘environmental release’ application of GM mustard
To: July 27, 2017 Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. Dear Sir, Sub: Reject the “environmental release” application of GM mustard Namaste. We write to you as concerned members of the medical fraternity of India, with regard to the possible approval to an application by Delhi University with the Ministry for Environment, Forests […]
WHY ENVIRONMENTAL RELEASE OF HERBICIDE TOLERANT GM MUSTARD IS AGAINST NATIONAL INTEREST
You can download a pdf version of this note here. GM mustard is low yielder. After GEAC has back tracked on increased yield claims of GM mustard, there is no basis what so ever to go ahead with its approval ( “… the yield comparison with national and local checks which has commercial use applications […]
GM mustard: Facts against Myths Propagated
You can download a pdf version of this document here. GM Mustard: Facts against Myths Propagated MYTH FACTS “Commercialization of GM Mustard is necessary to increase mustard productivity. It has shown 28% increase in yield”. · Govt. of India admitted in an affidavit in the Supreme Court (Oct. 2016) that no claim has been made […]
18 scientists write to the PM – Ask him to intervene and stop GM HT mustard
You can download the letter sent by 18 scientists on 6th July 2017. Another letter, from Dr Sharad Pawar, a National Academy of Agricultural Sciences Fellow, on June 7th 2017 is available here.