To:

Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan

Hon’ble Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare

Government of India.

Email: agrimin.india@gmail.com, chauhansr@mpls.sansad.in

Dear Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan ji,

Sub: Urging you to not release untested and unsafe gene edited rice varieties, Kamala and Pusa DST Rice 1, gene-edited sheep and to urgently bring all kinds of gene editing under the purview of comprehensive and rigorous regulation

Namaste. At the outset, we would like to introduce ourselves. “Coalition for a GM-Free India” is a national volunteer-driven platform of hundreds of public-spirited organisations and individuals working on issues related to agriculture, health, conservation of biodiversity, appropriate technology, food safety and empowerment of farmers. We are deeply concerned about the regulatory deficiencies in India when it comes to gene technologies and their deployment in our farming systems/environment and realise that these affect citizens, their health, livelihoods and environment. We are grateful to you for expressing your concern with regard to multiple adverse impacts of transgenic GM crops and thank you for your wisdom and long-term vision on this matter. 

We write this letter to you to express our deep concerns with regard to gene edited crops, and share the scientific information that we have in this regard. We believe that you have been misled by a particular “scientific community” (that for decades has sought to promote transgenic crops) ignoring scientific literature on the imprecision and unpredictability of gene editing, in addition to other related issues. In particular, we would like to draw your attention to unanswered questions with regard to the two announced gene edited rice varieties Kamala and Pusa DST Rice 1. Even though this letter is long, we request your patience in going through all the materials we are sharing here.

Gene Editing is imprecise:

Although the agricultural biotech industry and its allies claim that gene-editing tools such as CRISPR-Cas bring changes in the genome in a precise and controlled way leading to specific intended changes and nothing else, there is a large and ever-growing number of scientific evidence showing that gene editing is not precise but gives rise to numerous genetic changes, also known as unintended mutations both at the targeted site and off-site. These unintended mutations in SDN-1 technology used in the two gene edited rice varieties that were announced in May 2025, can lead to the creation of new gene sequences producing new mutant proteins, with unknown consequences to the health of consumers, and to the environment. These alterations can lead to compositional changes, which, scientists warn, could prove to be toxic and/or allergenic to human or animal consumers. We attach here a list of illustrative studies that capture numerous unintended changes from this so-called precise breeding technique. 

Unreliability of CRISPR-Cas application:

There are several scientific papers cautioning us about the irreversible risks associated with CRISPR technology, the same technology used in the two recently announced gene-edited rice varieties. We attach some illustrations of scientific evidence on the same. 

Gene Editing technique uses foreign genetic material, and such alien materials get unintentionally inserted into the new variety:

The process of creating genome edited organisms involves the use of foreign genetic material, in the form of plasmids/other vectors, antibiotic resistant marker genes, promoter genes etc, even in cases where the intention is not to insert alien or exogenous genetic material. It is important to note that de-regulated techniques of SDN-1 and SDN-2 gene editing also involve foreign genetic material being used and unintentionally implanted in the host organism. Since SDN-1 and SDN-2 gene editing tools have been de-regulated, there is no biosafety testing mandated at the moment in India to check for the inclusion of such foreign genetic material used in the process. We attach illustrations of scientific evidence on the unintentional inclusion of foreign genetic material in gene editing, even where the intention is not to introduce alien genes (SDN-3). 

IPR issues:

Gene editing tools are proprietary technologies under IPR ownership and have a direct bearing on seed sovereignty of India’s farming community, in addition to potentially being a wastage of public resources (like we witnessed in the infamous case of Bikaneri Bt cotton, for example). The Government of India has not revealed the situation with regard to IPRs on the announced varieties. There is lack of clarity on where the Indian Government’s NRAS picked up the technological tools from, for developing these two rice varieties, on what terms and conditions. While Broad Institute has been mentioned in news articles, this Institute has patents on the technology in the USA which are under litigation. In India, University of California and University of Vienna are patent-holders, which has met with post-Grant Opposition in India recently. 

Threat to India’s export markets for rice:

India is the world’s largest producer of rice at present. It is obvious that the surplus rice needs global markets. Meanwhile, important global markets have legitimate reservations about gene edited rice (these varieties would be GM with the foreign genetic material being in them too) and these markets reject such rice. We are jeopardising our trade security from these two genome edited rice varieties. More importantly, countries in the Middle East/Gulf, which are major destinations for our rice exports, prefer organic and public sentiment is against GM.

Other concerns around India’s traditional rice diversity, natural farming and other matters: 

These two gene-edited rice varieties put India at risk of losing its diverse gene pool with respect to rice. You might recall the permanent and irreversible damage to traditional cotton varieties and their germplasm with GM cotton’s arrival on our farms even as research from leading cotton scientist, ex-CICR director Dr Keshav Kranthi has shown that GM cotton did not lead to promised yield increase. India is a Centre of Origin and Diversity for rice, and it becomes imperative that India protects our rice diversity pool especially in the age of climate change. Risk to these traditional varieties threatens natural farming too – for which traditional varieties are key. Within these traditional varieties which will be at risk also lie a number of traditional drought and salinity tolerant varieties as well as high yielders, with good nutritional characteristics.

Rice is used as akshat by many communities in India. “Akshat” means unbroken and whole. Here however, 366 base pairs were deleted through gene editing to develop Pusa DST Rice 1 whereas 33 base pairs were deleted for DRR Dhan-100 “Kamala”. This destroys the sanctity of rice to be used in various rituals and ceremonies.

Claims that rice cultivation area can be reduced through these two varieties unfounded and baseless:

To give a cover of acceptability to these two gene edited rice varieties, the Government of India is presenting a narrative that the increased productivity of these rice varieties will lead to reduction in rice cultivation area, freeing up land for cultivation of pulses and oilseeds. The implausibility of this claim is apparent to the discerning person; clearly, it is not lack of productivity that has increased the area under paddy cultivation in India but perverse/locked-in incentives tied to paddy production. 

Meanwhile, we also have higher productivity in both traditional and conventionally-bred rice varieties than the gene edited rice varieties. Rather than these gene-edited rice varieties, the Government of India should be promoting such safer rice varieties.

Sir, it is important to recall that a deliberate ploy has been deployed with a plan to release these varieties without due testing and regulatory oversight, by de-regulating SDN-1 and SDN-2 techniques. We emphasise that IBSC oversight is equivalent to de-regulation, given the obvious conflict of interest involved. In other words, as per changes made in the statutory regulations governing gene editing in India in 2022, Institutional Bio-Safety Committees (IBSC) are supposed to self-regulate SDN-1 and SDN-2 R&D, wherein IBSC only informs the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) in the Department of Biotechnology while the IBSC is the one which reviews documents submitted and even issues a certificate of exemption to the applicant within the institute. This is a clear conflict of interest. Why will any institute (and its IBSC) stop its own employee from proceeding forward in the R&D? This is equivalent to de-regulation.

Meanwhile, countries like Mexico, Malaysia, South Korea and Indonesia clearly cover all genome edited products under statutory regulatory regimes. Even in the USA, towards the end of 2024, a Federal Court has ruled that regulatory frameworks are applicable to gene edited plants. Further, countries in the Middle East, which are major export destinations for India’s rice, continue to reject GM produce, including genome edited products as some consumer surveys are revealing. 

Given the many concerns we have mentioned in this letter, and the compelling scientific evidence presented herein, there is an immediate need to ensure the 2 gene edited rice varieties – Kamala (DRR Dhan 100), Pusa DST Rice 1 and gene-edited sheep are not released. 

If gene-edited rice varieties and sheep are indeed as safe and beneficial as they are claimed to be, let them be proven so after undergoing thorough testing with data that is publicly shared for wider scientific scrutiny. 

We urge you to – 

1)  Ensure that the planned release of Kamala (DRR Dhan 100), Pusa DST Rice 1 and gene-edited sheep is withdrawn immediately, and share all data related to Kamala (DRR Dhan 100), Pusa DST Rice 1, gene-edited sheep (and subsequently for all gene edited crops and animals) in the public domain.

2) Ensure that all gene editing in agriculture and animals remain fully regulated under GMO regulations given the inherent imprecision of gene editing and detailed reasons shared above. Exemption of SDN-1 and SDN-2 category gene-edited plants under Rule 20 of the “Rules for the manufacture, use, import, export & storage of hazardous microorganisms/genetically engineered organisms or cells, 1989” must be withdrawn. 

Sincerely, 

Kavitha Kuruganti                                      Rajesh Krishnan

Co-Convenor                                             Co-Convenor

Copies to – 

1) Shri Bhupender Yadav, Union Govt Minister for MoEFCC

2) Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology

3) Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Union Govt Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairying

Letter Endorsed by:

1. Dr. A. R. Vasavi, Independent Researcher, Bengaluru

2. Dr. Adv Lubna Sarwath, Center for Environmental & Wellbeing Economics, Hyderabad

3. Dr. Agastin B, Retd. Professor, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu

4. Dr. Aishwarya J, Independent Researcher, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

5. Dr. Aishwarya P, BNYS Physician, Bangalore

6. Dr. Anand Dhananjay Padhye, Professor and Head (Retired), Pune

7. Dr. Anupam Paul, Kolkata, West Bengal

8. Dr. Arun Gupta, Pediatrician and Public Health Expert, Delhi, Delhi NCR

9. Dr. Avik Ray, Researcher and Analyst, Kolkata

10. Dr. Balaji Krishnasamy, Doctor and Farmer, Puducherry

11. Dr. Bharat Shah, Doctor, Vadodara

12. Dr. Burnad Fathima Natesan, Tamil Nadu Dalit Women’s Movement

13. Dr. D. K. Sadana, ILSI, Karnal, Haryana

14. Dr. Debal Deb, Conservative biologist, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Kolkata

15. Dr. Debarati Chakraborty, Agri-research, Hyderabad

16. Dr. Debasis Laha, Writer, researcher, Belgharia, Kolkata

17. Dr. Deepa Ramesh, Velan Hospital, Tirupur

18. Dr. Devendra Jani, Pune, Maharashtra

19. Dr. Dhanya K, Yoga Instructor (Contract NAM), Kerala

20. Dr. Dheeraj D S, Ayurvedic doctor, Kottayam

21. Dr. Dhiraj Singh, Retired Agriculture Scientist, Ganganagar and Meerut

22. Dr. Dipankar Dey, Teacher, Kolkata

23. Dr. Donthi Narasimha Reddy, Seed Campaign, Hyderabad

24. Dr. Dwiji Guru, The Millet Foundation, Sitapur (UP) / Bengaluru (Kar)

25. Dr. Felix Joseph X, Professor, Kanyakumari ,Tamilnadu

26. Dr. G.Sither, Naturopathist, Thanjavur

27. Dr. Gautam Das, Individual, West Bengal

28. Dr. Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA), New Delhi

29. Dr. Gunathilagaraj Kandasamy, Retired Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Coimbatore

30. Dr. Gunjan Sharma, Yoga Vahini, Gurgaon

31. Dr. H Sumanth Hegde, Doctor, Bangalore Karnataka

32. Dr. Harish Gopal Shetty, Nature Cure, Andheri, Munbai

33. Dr. Hemang C Shah, Doctor at Ayush Vision Care Eye Clinic, Kutch, Gujarat

34. Dr. Jegath Krishnan G, Doctor, Kollam

35. Dr. Kanchan Mathur, Gender Specialist, Jaipur

36. Dr. Kannadasan, Farmer, Tamilnadu

37. Dr. Karthik Subramanian Chandrasekaran, Senior Molecular Cell Biologist, Chennai

38. Dr. Kavita Kulkarni, Professor, Pune

39. Dr. Kranthi Kumar Reddy, National Oilpalm Farmers Association, Pragadavaram, Andhra Pradesh

40. Dr. Krithika, Former DST Woman scientist (Wos-A), Chennai, Tamil Nadu

41. Dr. Kumar Gupta, Physician, Mumbai, MA

42. Dr. Lalitha Vijayan, Honorary Director, Salim Ali Foundation, Kanimangalam, Thrissur

43. Dr. M.Sivapragash, Professor, Nagercoil

44. Dr. Madhulika Banerjee, University of Delhi, Delhi

45. Dr. Mita Dutta, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Kolkata

46. Dr. Mohammad Ismail Gulshath, AINDIAA, Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu

47. Dr. Mohan Rao, Former Professor of Public Health, Bangalore

48. Dr. Murali KV, Medical Doctor cum Doctorate in Medicine, Bengaluru

49. Dr. Nandita Shah, Doctor, Mumbai

50. Dr. Nanthini R O, Chennai

51. Dr. Nilanjan Ghosh, Musician, Kolkata

52. Dr. Padmini Raghavan, Member of Obstetric and Gynaecology Society And of Nature Lovers of Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Telangana

53. Dr. Padmini Ranganathan, Ayurveda doctor, Mysore

54. Dr. Partha Bhore, Assistant Professor, Howrah

55. Dr. Parthiban Shanmugam, Public Health Consultant, Chennai

56. Dr. Pooja Mukul, Enable Foundation for Persons with Special Needs, Jaipur

57. Dr. Prabir Chatterjee, Doctor, Phulberia, Bankura, W Bengal

58. Dr. Prableen Kaur Chatha, Doctor, Jaipur

59. Dr. Pradeep Kumar, Medicine, Chennai

60. Dr. Prasanta Chattopadhyay, Kalodhvani, Belgharia, Kolkata

61. Dr. Prof. B.Narsimha Reddy, Retd. Professor of Botany, Hyderabad,Telangana

62. Dr. Pushya A Gautama, Doctoral Scholar, Bangalore

63. Dr. Raamnath ARR, Dot School of Design, Chennai

64. Dr. Radhika, Teacher, Dharapuram

65. Dr. Rakesh Agrawal, Independent Researcher & writer, Dehradun, Uttarakhand

66. Dr. Ramakrishnappa, Belavala Foundation, Srirangapatna

67. Dr. Raman, Professor, Madurai

68. Dr. Regi M George, Doctor, Sittilingi, Tamil Nadu

69. Dr. Rekha J Gowda, Ayurvedic doctor, Mysore

70. Dr. Rupal Shah, Green Leaf Ayurved Clinic, Pune

71. Dr. S Rajeshwaran, Farmer, Virudhunagar

72. Dr. S. Murugesan, Indian Organic Farms Association ( IOFA), Chennai

73. Dr. S.Santhi, Freelance Ecolgical Educator, Trivandrum, Kerala, India

74. Dr. Safia Aggarwal, Land and forest governance, Whitefield, Bangalore

75. Dr. Salauddin Baig, Service, Jamshedpur

76. Dr. Sanjay Agrawal, Doctor, Jaipur, Rajasthan

77. Dr. Sanjit Chatterjee, Research and teaching, Bangalore

78. Dr. Sarath Babu Balijepalli, President, Hyderabad

79. Dr. Sarita Kapgate, Ayurveda, North Goa

80. Dr. Selvan Rathinasamy, Child doctor, Erode

81. Dr. Shajehan SIvasankara Pillai, Retired Neurosurgeon, Trivandrum

82. Dr. Shakeelur Rahman, Prakriti Bachao Foundation, Ranchi

83. Dr. Shukla, Maharashtra

84. Dr. Shyamal Samanta, Agriculture, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Howrah

85. Dr. Siddhartha Gupta, Asst professor, Kolkata

86. Dr. Sita Venkateswar, Massey University, New Zealand/Kolkata

87. Dr. Smily, MAA Ayodhya Seva Sansthan, Uttar Pradesh

88. Dr. Smita Mandlecha, Professional, Pune

89. Dr. Soma Marla, Retired Principal Scientist, Hyderabad

90. Dr. Sreeraj K Damodar, AMAI, Varappetty

91. Dr. Sudeshna Sengupta, Independent Researcher and Consultant, Gurugram, Haryana

92. Dr. Suhas Kolhekar, Molecular Biologist & Health Rights Activist, Pune, Maharashtra

93. Dr. Sujatha Byravan, Biologist, Chennai

94. Dr. Sunilam, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Parmandal

95. Dr. Sushant Satpathy, Consultant Retired, Bhubaneswar

96. Dr. Tanmoy K Pal, Academic Administration, Kolkata

97. Dr. Tarak Kate, Dharamitra, Wardha

98. Dr. Taru Veera Venkata MaruthiSuman, Freelancer, Dharwad, Karnataka

99. Dr. Uma Shankari, Farmer, Hyderabad, Telangana

100. Dr. Umesh Chandrasekhar, Professor of Management, Coimbatore

101. Dr. US Natarajan, Srivilliputtur

102. Dr. Usha R, Doctor, Thiruvananthapuram

103. Dr. V. S. Vijayan, Chairman, Salim Ali Foundation, Kanimangalam, Thrissur, Kerala

104. Dr. V.G. Udayakumar, Ayurveda Medical Association of India, Malappuram, Kerala

105. Dr. Veena Shatrugna, Scientist Clinical Nutrition, NIN, (Rtd), Bengaluru, Karnataka

106. Dr. Vijay Rukmini Rao, Development,  Hyderabad, Telangana

107. Dr. Vijay Sandeep Jakkula, RySS, Thematic Lead, Science & Research, Hyderabad

108. Dr. Xaviar Rajappa, Retired Head Master, Sivagangai

109. Dr. Yatin Diwakar, Development professional and evaluator, Navi Mumbai

110. Mr. A Basu, Kharagpur

111. Mr. A Mannan Choudhury, Consultant, Agri Livelihood, Dharapur, Guwahati, Assam

112. Mr. A. Antony Prabaksingh, Terku Kallikulam – Tirunelveli district, Tamilnadu

113. Mr. A.Periyakaruppan, Vilathur, Manamadurai, Sivaganga District, Tamilnadu

114. Mr. Abdul Shukkoor PM, Mangad, Unnikulam, Kozhikode, Kerala

115. Mr. Aditya Abhang, Software engineer, Hyderabad

116. Mr. Ainthunai Velusamy, Ainthunai Natural farmers group, Erode, Tamil Nadu district

117. Mr. Ajit Kumar Som,  Kolkata

118. Mr. Akhilesh, Malappuram

119. Mr. Ali Asghar Shabbir Ali, Architecture, Mumbai

120. Mr. Amar Kumar Debnath, Awaken India Movement, Kalyani, West Bengal

121. Mr. Amitabha Dev Choudhury, Retired Teacher, Silchar, Assam

122. Mr. Anand Saksena, Retired, Jaipur

123. Mr. Anandharasu, Business owner, Chennai

124. Mr. Anantharaman V, Organic Farmer, Thiruvaiyaru

125. Mr. Ananthoo, Safe Food Alliance, Chennai

126. Mr. Anil Dev Verma, Farmer, Village Chandi PO Gondgiri District Bemetara, Chhattisgarh

127. Mr. Animesh Kumar Chaudhary, Raipur, Chhattisgarh

128. Mr. Anoopkumar AK, Agriculture, Kumbakonam

129. Mr. Anshuman Das, Expert – Agroecology and Food Systems, Kolkata

130. Mr. Anugrah Lakshmanan, Carnatic classical musician, Coimbatore

131. Mr. Anvesh Reddy Sunketa, Telangana Kisan Congress, Hyderabad

132. Mr. Arindam Bhattacharjee, Agriculturalist, Assam

133. Mr. Arindam Tapaswi, Balurghat

134. Mr. Arnab Chakraborty, Srijani Sanstha, Kolkata

135. Mr. Arockia Prince, Agriculture, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu

136. Mr. Arpit Sharma, Farmer, Kota, Rajasthan

137. Mr. Arul Jega Selvan, Farmer, Vadakankulam

138. Mr. Arunkumar, Self employed, Kunnathurmedu, Palakkad, Kerala

139. Mr. Arunprasath Venket Ramana Samy, Natural Farmer, Dharapuram

140. Mr. Ashim Kumar Munshi, Retired, Nashik

141. Mr. Ashis Biswas, Retired, Kolkata

142. Mr. Ashish Arya, AIM, New Delhi

143. Mr. Ashok Kumar Sehgal, Journalist, Ludhiana

144. Mr. Ashok Raj, Farmer,

145. Mr. Ashwin Purshottam Chavda, Motion Graphic Artist, Mumbai

146. Mr. Asit Pal, Kolkata

147. Mr. Asokakumar V, Kerala Jaiva Karshaka Samithi, Malappuram

148. Mr. Athikesavan S, Software Engineer, Thanjavur

149. Mr. Augustine Newton, Farmer, Kavalkinaru

150. Mr. Avik Saha, Jai Kisan Andolan, Kolkata

151. Mr. B R Narayanaswamy, Farmers’ Leader, Coimbatore

152. Mr. Babu R, Farmer, Perambur village, Uthukottai taluk, Thiruvallur Dist., Tamilnadu

153. Mr. Bala Dhandapani K, Independant Natural Farmer, Dharapuram Taluk, Tiruppur Dist, Tamil Nadu

154. Mr. Balachandran C, Architect, Mysore

155. Mr. Balaji Srinivasan, IT, Chengalpattu

156. Mr. Balakrishnan, Farmer, Jawadhupatty

157. Mr. Balamurugan, Engineering, Tirunelveli

158. Mr. Balasubramanian, Farmer, Pudukkottai

159. Mr. Baljinder Kamboj, Software engineer, Sirsa, Haryana

160. Mr. Banbehari Ghar, Sonamukhi, Bankura, West Bengal

161. Mr. Basavaraj Honnappa, Consultant for FPOs, Matala, Basavakalyan, Bidar, Karnataka

162. Mr. Baskar Manimegalai, Nammalvar Multiversity, Tiruvannamalai

163. Mr. Bhairab Saini, Panchal, Bankura

164. Mr. Bharani, Dharapuram

165. Mr. Bharat Dogra, Author, Delhi

166. Mr. Bharath A C, Student, Bangalore

167. Mr. Bhoopendra Singh, Sangata Purkhauti Agro Farmer’s Producer Company Limited, Ambikapur, District Surguja, Chhattisgarh

168. Mr. Bijendra, Tutor, Haryana

169. Mr. Biju Muttathusseril, Electrical, Thrissur

170. Mr. Bishnu Rabidas,

171. Mr. Biswajit Bhadra, West Bengal

172. Mr. Bokul Chandra, Organic Farming, Thakurgaon

173. Mr. Brijesh kumar, Account executive, Meerut

174. Mr. Brindawan Das Mundhra, Retired, Bikaner, Rajasthan

175. Mr. C Rajendran, Farmer, Erode

176. Mr. Chandra, Bangalore, Karnataka

177. Mr. Chandrasekaran Chinnasamy, Natural farming, Dharapuram

178. Mr. Chandrasekaran, Tamil Nadu

179. Mr. Chandrashekhar Hirachand Mendole, Assistant Professor, Buldhana Maharashtra

180. Mr. Chellamuthu, Organic Farming and Engineering Professional, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu

181. Mr. Chetan Singh Deora, General Manager, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

182. Mr. Chidambaram AR, Agriculturist, Chennai

183. Mr. Chirag Karania, Business owner, Mumbai

184. Mr. Christopher Columbus, Engineer, Tamil Nadu

185. Mr. Darshan P K, Purnapramati, Bengaluru

186. Mr. Debashish Tarafdar, Kolkata

187. Mr. Debjit Chakraborty, Art/Dance, Kolkata

188. Mr. Deepak Malani, Agriculture allied, Ulhasnagar

189. Mr. Deivasigamani, Art of Living, Tiruppur

190. Mr. Devison A. K, General Secretary, Kerala Coconut Farmers Association, Kozhikode

191. Mr. Dhamodharan, Organic shop, Medavakam

192. Mr. Dharmendra Kumar, Jan Pahal, Delhi

193. Mr. Dhivakar Prasanna Palanisamy, Agriculturist at Aervalam Organic Farm, Tamil Nadu

194. Mr. Dhruv Gupta, Indian Seed Sovereignty Alliance, Powai, Mumbai

195. Mr. Dibyendu Das, Junior Engineer, West Bengal

196. Mr. Dilip Talreja, Retired, Mumbai

197. Mr. Dinesh Kumar, Business, Chennai

198. Mr. Dineshram KP, Nambiyur, Erode

199. Mr. Divesh Trikha, Retired, Karnal, Haryana

200. Mr. Divy Dholakiya, Business, Rajkot, Gujarat

201. Mr. Doraisamy, Organic farmer, Thekkalur, Avinashi, Tiruppur

202. Mr. Elango S, CA cum Natural Farmer, Annur, Coimbatore

203. Mr. Esakkinatarajan, SSIASAT (Art of living) Bangalore, Palayapettai, Tirunelveli, Tamil nadu

204. Mr. G Vijay, Raichur, Karnataka

205. Mr. G. Subash, Software developer, Avinashi

206. Mr. Gaindlal Chandrakar, Gau Sansad, Raipur

207. Mr. Ganesh kumar, Buisness, Bangalore

208. Mr. Ganesh Periyakaruppan, Chemical Engineer, Tamil Nadu

209. Mr. Gautam Sonti, Filmmaker, Bangalore

210. Mr. Gautham Ganesh PV, Law student, Lavad, Gujarat

211. Mr. Geo Damin, Poovulagin Nanbargal, Chennai

212. Mr. Girija Nandan Upadhyay, Ranchi

213. Mr. Gopal Subhash Mahajan, Mumbai, Maharashtra

214. Mr. Gopalakrishna Tikkireddy, BKS, Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh

215. Mr. Gopalakrishnan, Engineer, Mumbai

216. Mr. Gopi, Safe Foods, Chennai

217. Mr. Goutam Dass, Publishing Professional, Kolkata

218. Mr. Govardhanan B, Vallalar Organic Herbals, Tiruvannamalai, Tamilnadu

219. Mr. Govindaraj P, Software, Chennai

220. Mr. Gowthamaraja Eswaramoorthy, IT, Dharapuram

221. Mr. Gramiyam Palanisamy, Graamiya Saangamam, Tirupur

222. Mr. Guramneet Singh Mangat, General Secretary, Progressive Farmers Front, Dal Nagar Farms, Sampurna Nagar, Tehsil Palia, Distt. Lakhimpur Kheri, UP

223. Mr. Gurpreet Singh Sangha, Agriculture / International Trade, Jaipur

224. Mr. Hariharan T S, Software engineer, Bangalore

225. Mr. Hemadri Babu G, Ex Telecom Professional and now Active Natural Farmer, Tiruttani town, Tiruvallur district, Tamilnadu

226. Mr. Hemendra Varma, Management Consultant, Pune

227. Mr. Himakiran, Thondaimandalam Foundation, Komakkambedu, Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu

228. Mr. Himanshu Bhatt, IT Sector, Navi Mumbai

229. Mr. Ilango, Farmer, Thalavadi

230. Mr. Issac Devaraj, Traditional Rice Seller, Chennai

231. Mr. J.Karuppasamy, Natural Farmer, Sivakasi, Virudhunagar Dist, Tamilnadu

232. Mr. Jacob Sathiyaseelan, Organic farmer, Chennai, Tamilnadu

233. Mr. Jaffar Sadiq, Social services, Trivandrum

234. Mr. Janakiraman, IT, Porani, Karur

235. Mr. Jawahar Subramanian, Agriculturist, Kondayampalayam, Kallippatti, Gobichettipalayam Taluk, Erode District, Tamilnadu

236. Mr. Jayanta Bhattacharjee, Central Government Employee, Kolkata

237. Mr. Jesuraj, Founder, Thaai Veedu, Tirunelveli

238. Mr. Jet Lee Honhaga, Technician, Trichy

239. Mr. Jeyakumar C, Acupuncture Therapist, Madurai

240. Mr. Jitesh Jain, Student, Sawai Madhopur

241. Mr. Joshi Deepak,    Gujarat

242. Mr. Joydev Dey, Bijnan Darbar, Kanchrapara

243. Mr. K R Dayananda, Retired Banker, Chennai

244. Mr. K Ragupathy, Lawyer, Chennai

245. Mr. K S Shimon, Mysore

246. Mr. K. Balakrishnan, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (TN), Palavanthangal, Chennai

247. Mr. K.Harish, Agriculturist, Nagercoil

248. Mr. Kalimuthu K, Farmer, Dharapuram

249. Mr. Kalyan Chakraborty, Business, Kolkata

250. Mr. Kandavadivel P, Natural  farming, Avinashi

251. Mr. Kannan Sethuraman, Gumalapuram

252. Mr. Kapil Shah, Promotion of Organic Farming, Vadodara, Gujarat

253. Mr. Karthik Gunasekar, Tamil Nadu Iyarkai Velan Koottamaipu, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

254. Mr. Karthikeyan M, Yogacharya, therapist AYUSH certified, East Tambaram

255. Mr. Karthikeyan Marimuthu, Farmer, Vadavedampatti, Sulur, Coimbatore

256. Mr. Kaushik, Retired Electrical Engineer, Guwahati

257. Mr. Keshab Kumar Ghosh, Natural Farming Trainer, West Bengal

258. Mr. Kiran Rajendra Kamble, NGO worker, Pune

259. Mr. Kishore Otturu, Engineer, Nellore

260. Mr. Kishore Puvvada, Research Scholar, Independent Consultant, Sholinganallur, Chennai

261. Mr. Kshitij Sharad Supekar, Vadodara

262. Mr. Kuldeep Singh, Private employee, Delhi

263. Mr. Kuldeepak B. Deshpande, Natural Farmer, Chhatrapati SambhajiNagar, Maharashtra

264. Mr. Kumar S, Analyst, Srivilliputtur

265. Mr. Kumar Velu, Radhapuram Taluk Farmers Association, Azhaganeri

266. Mr. Kunal Brahmakshatriya, Accounts Manager, Ahmedabad

267. Mr. Kunal Dutta, Teacher, West Bengal

268. Mr. L. Pichandi, Farmer, Tamil Nadu

269. Mr. Leonard,  Sirumalai Hills,  TN

270. Mr. Logesh V, Farmer and photographer, Bhavani, Erode, Tamilnadu

271. Mr. M Karthick Abhiraj, ABHI in Naturals, Madurai

272. Mr. M N Dinesh Kumar, Earth360 Eco Ventures Private Limited, Kadiri, Andhra Pradesh

273. Mr. M. Karthickumar, Vanam India Foundation

274. Mr. M. Meganatha Sivasankaran, Journalist, Vettavalam, Tamilnadu

275. Mr. Madan Lal, Software professional, Bangalore

276. Mr. Madhanagopal, Manager, Madurai

277. Mr. Mahaveer Singh, Social Worker, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh

278. Mr. Mahesh Bhatt, Retired Assistant Professor. Bhavnagar, Gujarat

279. Mr. Manasha Chandra Maharana, NIRMAN, Odisha,

280. Mr. Maneesh Yadav, Banker, Gurugram

281. Mr. Manickavasagam, Banker, Madurai

282. Mr. Maninder Kumar, Farmer, Mohali

283. Mr. Manoj, Farmer, Surat

284. Mr. Manoranjan Swain, Odisha Right to Food, Bhubaneswar

285. Mr. Mantu Kumar Sau,    Purba medinipur

286. Mr. Mariappan Krishnasamy, Engineer, Town

287. Mr. Marutham Kumar, Agriculturist, Gobichettipalayam

288. Mr. Mary Jenit, Engineer, Chennai

289. Mr. Mehul Raval, Trader, Gandhinagar, Gujarat

290. Mr. Michael de Magry, Electrical, Bangalore

291. Mr. Mohammed Rizwan.A., Acupuncturist, Tamil Nadu

292. Mr. Mohan Dhayalan, Farmer, Kallakurichi,  TN

293. Mr. Monisaanth T R, Farming, Kovilpalayam, Tiruppur, Tamilnadu

294. Mr. Monuhar Pegu,    Agaratoli, Bokakhat, Kaziranga, Assam

295. Mr. Mukesh Lutade, Magan Khadi, Wardha

296. Mr. Mukesh Marhia, Malad West Mumbai Maharashtra

297. Mr. Munish Kumar, Climate Solutions

298. Mr. Muralitharan, Farmer, Tiruppur, Tamilnadu

299. Mr. Muthusamy K, Farmer

300. Mr. Muthusamy Srinivasan, Garments, Punjai Puliampatti, TN

301. Mr. Nagabhushan, Manager, Bengaluru, Karnataka

302. Mr. Nagarajan Mani, Karima Organic Farmers Market, Chennai

303. Mr. Nagoormeeran K, Natural Farmer, Madurai, Tamilnadu

304. Mr. Naresh Sharma, Eco Friendz, Jalandhar

305. Mr. Natarajavel B, Tamil Nadu

306. Mr. NatrajKumar Chandrasekhar, Senior IT leader, Chennai

307. Mr. Neetesh Jain, Farmer, Damoh, Madhya Pradesh

308. Mr. Nidhin Jacob, IT Professional, Kochi, Kerala

309. Mr. Nighil K, Punalur

310. Mr. Nirmalendu Jyotishi, Development Consultant, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

311. Mr. Nitin Sali, V R S, Pune

312. Mr. Nitin Saxena, Pilot, Mumbai

313. Mr. Nitinn Relekar, Photographer, Navi Mumbai

314. Mr. P Govindasamy, Retired, Tamil Nadu

315. Mr. P K Hariharan, Bangalore

316. Mr. P R Rangaswami, Aram Organic Farmers Producer Company Ltd., Coimbatore

317. Mr. P Srinivas, SOIL, Bengaluru

318. Mr. Padam Kumar Jain, Prem Samriddhi Foundation, Bundi

319. Mr. Pandiaraj, Engineer, Tamil Nadu

320. Mr. Paneer Selvam, Farmer, Tamil Nadu

321. Mr. Pankaj Malviya, Engineer, Member of IEEE, Bengaluru

322. Mr. Parag R, Teacher, Chennai

323. Mr. Paranthman.M, Assistant Director, Chennai

324. Mr. Pareshkumar Dave, Retired, Anand

325. Mr. Partha Mazumder, West Bengal

326. Mr. Partha Sarathi Mallick, Teacher, Sonarpur, West bengal

327. Mr. Parthasarathy VM, Farmer, Pandeswaram,  Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu

328. Mr. Parthiban, Agriculturist, Cuddalore

329. Mr. Parthiban.C, Transee Organics, Chennai

330. Mr. Pasumai Desam Rajendar, Pasumai Desam, Coimbatore

331. Mr. Periyasamy Sennimalai, Retired, Kannamanaicknur

332. Mr. Philip Martis, Holistic Healer, Pune, Maharashtra

333. Mr. Piru Pal, Krishan, West Bengal

334. Mr. Pothi, Freelancer, Chatrapatti, Viruthunagar District, Tamilnadu

335. Mr. PP. Shankaran, Salem

336. Mr. Prabakaran, Kumbakonam

337. Mr. Prabhakaran Apparsamy, Traditional Organic Farming, Avinashi

338. Mr. Prabir Banerjee, Environmental work, Pondicherry

339. Mr. Pradeep Golecha, Business, Rajasthan

340. Mr. Pradeep Kumar Dhandapani, Bengaluru

341. Mr. Prajwal, Mysuru University, Karnataka

342. Mr. Prakash Udikeri, IT Sector, Belgaum, Karnataka

343. Mr. Prameet, Yoga teacher, Mumbai

344. Mr. Prasad Suryawanshi, Mechanical Engineer, Mumbai

345. Mr. Prashanth Bachu, Urban Transport Specialist, Hyderabad

346. Mr. Prashanth Jayaram, Farmer, Sathegala village, Karnataka

347. Mr. Prateek Das, Airline Pilot, Kolkata

348. Mr. Pratham  Jain, Businessman, Chennai

349. Mr. Pratikbhai Narendra bhai Barbhaya, Stationery vendor, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

350. Mr. Praveen Kumar AR, Agriculture, Hyderabad, Telangana

351. Mr. Praveenkumar, Agriculture, Tamil Nadu

352. Mr. Preamkumar,    Trichy

353. Mr. Pritam Bhowmick, Chemist, West Bengal

354. Mr. Priyabrata Panja, Buiness, West Bengal

355. Mr. Puneet Arora, Business/Pharmacist, Delhi

356. Mr. Puran Bartwal, People’s Science Institute

357. Mr. Purushothaman Balakrishnan, Software, Bangalore, Karnataka

358. Mr. R Rajesh Kumar, Venmathis Nature, Perumampalayam, Samalapuram, Tirupur, Tamilnadu

359. Mr. Rafikulalam Sahana, Farmer, Bardhaman, West Bengal

360. Mr. Raghunathasethupathy, Software Engineer, Tamil Nadu

361. Mr. Raj Kamal, Teacher, Haridwar

362. Mr. Raja Paul, Farmer, Vadakangulam, Tirunelveli, Tamil nadu

363. Mr. Raja Sankar, Agripreneur – Purva Naturals, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

364. Mr. Rajamani Krishna Kumar, Co ordinator EDOFF, Gobichettipalayam,  Tamilnadu

365. Mr. Rajasekar Krishnamurti, President, Tamil Nadu

366. Mr. Rajesh Shervegar, Business, Udupi

367. Mr. Rajeshkannan,    Kovilpatti

368. Mr. Rajneesh Bedi, Agriculturist, Bugga Kalan

369. Mr. Rakesh Kumar Singh, Farmer, Sheohar, Bihar

370. Mr. Rama rao jonnalagadda, Farmer, Guntur

371. Mr. Ramakrishna Naidu E, Sundaramma Mango Farms, Ramapuram

372. Mr. Ramakrishnan Manden Kattil, Audio engineer, Mumbai, Maharashtra

373. Mr. Ramasamy Selvam, EDOFF, Erode, Tamilnadu

374. Mr. Ramasubramanian, Senior Sustainability Specialist / Director, Samanvaya Social Ventures, Tamil Nadu

375. Mr. Ramesh Chandran, Founder, CEO of Bio Basics, Coimbatore

376. Mr. Ramesh N, Agriculturist & Engineer, Dharapuram

377. Mr. Ramesh Ramasamy, Agriculture, Mulanur

378. Mr. Ramesh, Agriculture, Kovilpatti

379. Mr. Ramkumar, Tamil Nadu

380. Mr. Ramnarayan K, Natural History Educator, Munsiari, Uttarakhand

381. Mr. Ramprasad Sana, Agricultural Scientist, Hyderabad

382. Mr. Ranganathan, Farmer, Dharapuram

383. Mr. Raspinder Singh Grewal, Natural farming, Village Sherpur kalan, Punjab

384. Mr. Rathnakumar, Engineer, Ramapuram

385. Mr. Ravi Kumar Singh, Agribusiness Entrepreneur, Rajkheta, Wadrafnagar, District- Balrampur, Chhattisgarh

386. Mr. Ravi Shankar, CBIC officer, Delhi

387. Mr. Ravi SP, Chalakudypuzha Samrakshana Samithi, Chalakudy, Thrissur District, Kerala

388. Mr. Ravi.K., Farmer, Tamil Nadu

389. Mr. Riddhiman Basu, IT Professional, Kolkata

390. Mr. Rohan Patil, Software consultant, Mumbai

391. Mr. Rohan Vakharia, Maharashtra

392. Mr. Ruhant Kini, Trader, Mumbai

393. Mr. Rushil Tamboli, Awaken India Movement, Bhavnagar, Gujarat

394. Mr. S Syed Noor Mohamed, Farmer, Tamil Nadu

395. Mr. S.Thirunavukkarasu, Retired, Chennai

396. Mr. Sabari Karthik, Microbiologist, Coimbatore

397. Mr. Sachin Kulkarni,  Shelgaon, Jalna

398. Mr. Saikat Sengupta, Software Engineer, Kolkata

399. Mr. Sajan, Chennai

400. Mr. Sanjay Dixit, Farmer leader, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

401. Mr. Sanjay Kanti Chanda, Busineas Consultant, Bengaluru

402. Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Society For Promotion of Wastelands Development, West Bengal

403. Mr. Sanjay Lakra, Social service centre, Jharsuguda, Orissa

404. Mr. Sanjay Rajesh Gupta, Advocate, Mumbai

405. Mr. Sanjeev Kumar Singhal, Farmer, Bulandshahar

406. Mr. Sanjib Kumar, Lawyer, Odisha

407. Mr. Sanjoy Das, Technician, West Bengal

408. Mr. Sankar A., Farmer, Bellepalayam Village, Tamil Nadu

409. Mr. Saravanan Durai, Engineering, Chennai

410. Mr. Saravanan, Athinathatraders,  Tamil Nadu

411. Mr. Sathees Kumar B, Kerala  Jaiva Karshaka Samithi, Thuravoor P O, Alappuzha, Kerala

412. Mr. Sathishkumar, Engineer, Gobichettipalayam

413. Mr. Satish Padyal, Office Assistant, Mumbai

414. Mr. Satya, IT, Bengaluru

415. Mr. Saurabh Sahni, Namma Farmers Market, Mysore

416. Mr. SB N Quadri, Lawyer, Aurangabad

417. Mr. Selvakumar, Natural Farmer, Theni

418. Mr. Selvam Ramasamy, Tamilnadu Organic Farmers Federation, Tamilnadu

419. Mr. Senthilkumar Thirumalaisamy, Agriculture, Coimbatore

420. Mr. Senthilkumar, Agricultural, Tiruppur

421. Mr. Shanmuga Subramanian Vellagal Arunachalam, Farmer, Chennai

422. Mr. Sheik Abdul Safur, Engineer, Tamilnadu

423. Mr. Shiburaj AK, Journalist, Kozhikode, Kerala

424. Mr. Shijil, Ottapalam, Palakkad

425. Mr. Shiva Ganesh, Farmer, Thatchur, Arani

426. Mr. Shivansh Vishwakarma, Self Employed, Thane

427. Mr. Shoaib Chadkhan, Entrepreneur, Mysore

428. Mr. Shridhar Shankar Mahajan, Pune, Maharashtra

429. Mr. Shrikikrishna Joshi, Interior designer, Pune, Maharashtra

430. Mr. Shubham Jade, Student, Mumbai

431. Mr. Shyam, Banker, Chennai

432. Mr. Siddharth Singh Negi, Uttaranchal Youth and Rural Development Centre, Narayanbagar, District Chamoli,  Uttarakhand

433. Mr. Sivabalan Athilingam, Chennai

434. Mr. Somenath Dey, Telecom engineer, West Bengal

435. Mr. Somnath Chakraborti, Assistant Professor, Halisahar

436. Mr. Somnath Sil,    Siliguri

437. Mr. Somu, LLP, Mylapore, Chennai

438. Mr. Soumik, Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch, Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh

439. Mr. Soumyendra Roy, Consultant, Kolkata

440. Mr. Sourabh Kumar Roy,    Coochbehar

441. Mr. Sourav Ghosh, West Bengal

442. Mr. Sourav Mukherjee, IT professional, New Delhi

443. Mr. Souvratra Chakraborty, Business, Kolkata

444. Mr. Sridharan K, Media, Thanjavur

445. Mr. Subir Majumdar, Musician, Kolkata

446. Mr. Subramanian P N, Regenerative natural farmer, Padur, Tamilnadu

447. Mr. Sudhagar, Auto driver, Uthukkadu

448. Mr. Sudhakar, Kannamangam

449. Mr. Sudip Ghosh, Teacher, Baharampur, West bengal

450. Mr. Sudipta Jana, Farmer, Village Bilara PO Hawakhana, West Bengal

451. Mr. Sujanand P, Vellore

452. Mr. Sukanta Chakraborty, Business owner, Durgapur, West Bengal

453. Mr. Sukanta Mondal, Kolkata

454. Mr. Sukumaran M, Agriculture, Kuttiattoor

455. Mr. Sundara Vimalanathan, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, Swamimalai PO, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu

456. Mr. Sundararajan, Pollachi

457. Mr. Sundaresan Kaliyaperumal, Organic Farmer, Jayankondam, Ariyalur, Tamilnadu

458. Mr. Sunil Bavkar, IT, Navi Mumbai

459. Mr. Sunny Jain, Surat, Gujarat

460. Mr. Suresh Kanna, BERAS India, Trichy

461. Mr. Suryanarayana Tummala, Farmer, Chennai Tamilnadu

462. Mr. Sushant Maurya, Farmer, UP

463. Mr. Suvendu Singha, Training Expert, Ranchi

464. Mr. T.R Santhoshkumar, Farmer, Palakkad

465. Mr. Tadepalli Krishnaprasad, Certified Clinical Nutritionist, Tupran, Telangana

466. Mr. Tamilarasan, Farmer, Tiruppur, Tamilnadu

467. Mr. TANMOY MAHATO, Student, Jharkhand

468. Mr. Tapas Biswas, Paribesh Bandhab Mancha Barrackpore, West Bengal

469. Mr. Tejas D Vora,Chartered Accountant, Gujarat

470. Mr. Thilak Raj S, Safe Food Alliance, Chennai

471. Mr. Thirumurugan, Farmer, Chidambaram Tamilnadu

472. Mr. Tulsidas Kamath, Mechanic, Kumta

473. Mr. Uday Chandra Ghosh,    West Bengal

474. Mr. Uthayakumar R, Agriculture, Tamil nadu

475. Mr. Utkarsh Tawade, Port Authority worker, Navi Mumbai

476. Mr. V Ramasamy, Auditor, Tirupur

477. Mr. V. Suresh Babu, Chennai

478. Mr. V.Goverthan, Farmer, Kettavaram palayam, kalasapakkam, Tiruvannamalai , Tamilnadu

479. Mr. Vaidyanathan, Velachery

480. Mr. Vansh Narang, Research Psychologist, Delhi

481. Mr. Veeraragavaprabu Ponraj, Software Programmer, Chennai

482. Mr. Velmurugan, Material specialist, Tamil Nadu

483. Mr. Venkatesh, Farmer, Raichur, Karnataka

484. Mr. Venugopal, Business, Punjai Puliampatti

485. Mr. Venugopalan Govindan, Qualitime Software Private Limited, Coimbatore

486. Mr. Vijay Krishna Raichurkar, IT professional, Pune

487. Mr. Vijayakanth Borus, Farmer, Anaigudi, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu

488. Mr. Vikram Kumaraswamy, IT services, Bangalore

489. Mr. Vilas Pralhad Sheware, Ashirwad foundation, Nagpur, Maharashtra

490. Mr. Vinay Verma,    Pune, Maharashtra

491. Mr. Vineet Pandey, Teacher, Mathura

492. Mr. Virendra Parekh, Journalist, Mumbai

493. Mr. Virupaxgouda Patil, Agriculture, Kurtakoti

494. Mr. Vishal Lalka, Chartered Accountant, Gandhidham

495. Mr. Vivek Kala, Engineer, Rajasthan

496. Mr. Vivek Subramani, Kodaikanal

497. Mr. Waseem Akram, Electrical Supervisor, Ramnagar, Bihar

498. Mr. Yalalram Saw, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh

499. Mr. Yash Agrawal, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

500. Mr. Yash Saxena, Food researcher, Kargil

501. Mr. Yashas M, Engineer, Mysore city, Karnataka

502. Mr Yudhvir Singh, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU Tikait), New Delhi

503. Mr. அருள் CM (Arul), Farmer, Avinashi

504. Mrs. Bhavreen Kandhari, Clean Air Strategist, New Delhi

505. Mrs. Bina Nissar, Mumbai, Maharashtra

506. Mrs. Brigitte Maria Louis Zacharia, Farmer, Mysore

507. Mrs. Chandiralekha, IT, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

508. Mrs. Chandrika, Retired, Chennai, Tamilnadu

509. Mrs. Chetana K, Farmer, Mumbai

510. Mrs. Dhivya, Dindigul

511. Mrs. Durgalakshmi V,  Chennai

512. Mrs. G A S, Ahmedabad

513. Mrs. Gayathree Krishna, CORI Engineers Pvt. Ltd., Chennai

514. Mrs. Gayathri R, Chennai, Tamilnadu

515. Mrs. Geeta Chandak, Software Consultant, Chhindwara

516. Mrs. Geeta N Soneji, Hyderabad

517. Mrs. Geetha S, Consultant, Tambaram

518. Mrs. Geetha Sadasivam, Retired bank official, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai

519. Mrs. Geetha, Chennai

520. Mrs. Gita Ram, Chennai

521. Mrs. Gomathi, Tirunelveli

522. Mrs. Gowsalya Palanisamy, Tamil Nadu

523. Mrs. Grace Anitha, Kalanjiam Pengal vivasaya sangam, Chengam taluka, Thiruvannamalai, Tamilnadu

524. Mrs. Ila Vaidya, Mumbai

525. Mrs. Isha Deshpande,    Maharashtra

526. Mrs. Jahnavi, TULA, Hyderabad

527. Mrs. Jayashree Narayanan, Bharathanatyam Guru, Pondicherry

528. Mrs. Jenny, Environmental Engineer, Poovulagin Nanbargal, Chennai

529. Mrs. Jhansirani Otturu, Nellore

530. Mrs. Jyothi Gokul, Natural farming – individual undertaking (moved from inorganic to natural farming processes), Chennai, Tamil Nadu

531. Mrs. Jyothi, Yoga therapist, Chennai

532. Mrs. Kala Venkteshwar, Director Private limited company, Chennai

533. Mrs. Kiran Philip Martis, Awaken India Movement, Pune, Maharashtra

534. Mrs. Kirti Mangrulkar, Farmer and entrepreneur, Nagpur

535. Mrs. Kirti Negi Bajoria, Eco Warrior Enterprises, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

536. Mrs. L. Uthira, Associate Professor in Nutrition, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu

537. Mrs. Latha Palanisamy, Teacher, Kannamangalam

538. Mrs. Lina Das De, Supervisor,

539. Mrs. Lolita Ghosal, Associate Professor, Bally, Howrah, West Bengal

540. Mrs. Madhura Shrinivas Gokhale, Natural farming, Pune, Maharashtra

541. Mrs. Madhuri Sarang Inamdar, Advocate, Pune

542. Mrs. Mahimkar Utsavi, Pharmacist, Mumbai

543. Mrs. Malathi.K, Chennai

544. Mrs. Manasa Veena, Teacher, Hyderabad

545. Mrs. Manjushree Tadvalkar, Know How Foundation- INORA, Pune

546. Mrs. Meera Korwar, Retired Banker, Mysuru

547. Mrs. Mekala Jagadeeswaran, Tamilnadu

548. Mrs. N.Manikavalli, Tirupur

549. Mrs. Neeta B,    Pune, Maharashtra

550. Mrs. Neeta Chandrashekhar Joshi,    Pune

551. Mrs. Nilima Bhure,    Pune Maharashtra

552. Mrs. Nisha Koiri, Awaken India Movement, Mumbai

553. Mrs. Nitya Shaghana Selvaraj, Private sector, Trichy

554. Mrs. Pallavi Singhal, Teacher, Mumbai

555. Mrs. Pallavi Sulgekar,    Pune

556. Mrs. Paramjit Kaur Narang, Sugam NGO, Gurugram, Haryana

557. Mrs. Parveen kaur,    Pune

558. Mrs. Pratibha Bharadwaj, Teaching profession, Jaipur, Rajasthan

559. Mrs. Pratibha Nair,    Pune, Maharashtra

560. Mrs. Purva Deepak Atre.,    Pune, Maharashtra

561. Mrs. Rajalakshmi, Tamil Nadu

562. Mrs. Rajani Kariappa, Bangalore

563. Mrs. Rajeswari, Agriculture, Dharapuram

564. Mrs. Rajisriram, Tirupur, Tamilnadu

565. Mrs. Ramyachithra. K. R, Agriculture, Vellangallur

566. Mrs. Rega Selvakumar, Profession, Tamilnadu

567. Mrs. Renuka K.Narasimhan, Homemaker, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

568. Mrs. Reshmi Hela Debnath,    Kolkata

569. Mrs. Rucha Vikrant Patwardhan, Training, Pune

570. Mrs. S Bharadwaj, Responsible Citizen, Chennai Tamil Nadu

571. Mrs. S.Lilly Gracy, Teacher, Veerapandianpatnam,Tuticorin, Tamilnadu

572. Mrs. Sagayaselvi, Chennai

573. Mrs. Sameera, Marketing and Communications, Hyderabad

574. Mrs. Samyuktha J, Farmer, Coimbatore

575. Mrs. Sangeetha, Tirupur, TN

576. Mrs. Sarika Santosh Rasane,    Pune

577. Mrs. Sathya Senthilkumar, Chennai

578. Mrs. Savitha Kamath, Maharashtra

579. Mrs. Seethalakshmi, Chennai

580. Mrs. Shabnam Narula, Bhoomi, Delhi NCR

581. Mrs. Shanthi Krishnasamy, Sembulam organic farmers, Uthupalayam Dharapuram

582. Mrs. Sheela Swaminathan, Bengaluru, Karnataka

583. Mrs. Shivashanthalatha,    Perumbakkam, Chennai

584. Mrs. Shoba Karuppiah, Chennai

585. Mrs. Sivasankari  Venkatasubramanian, OFM, Chennai

586. Mrs. Sreedevi L, Social Entrepreneur, Coimbatore

587. Mrs. Sreeja K V, Patasala, Arangottukara, Arangottukara, Thrissur Kerala

588. Mrs. Sreelatha Rajan, Farmer

589. Mrs. Subha, Chennai, Tamilnadu

590. Mrs. Subhashini, Chennai

591. Mrs. Suguna, Advocate, Tirupur

592. Mrs. Sumaiya Parveen, Assistant Manager, Chennai

593. Mrs. Suparna Mukherjee, Teacher, Birbhum, West Bengal

594. Mrs. Surya Devi M S, Acupuncturist, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

595. Mrs. Swaroopa N B, Bangalore

596. Mrs. Syamala Devi, Farmer, Thummalapalli, Vikarabad Dist, Telangana

597. Mrs. Tithi Halder, Assistant Teacher, Chinsurah

598. Mrs. Uma Maheswari RG, Information Technology, Tiruppur, TamilNadu

599. Mrs. Usha Hariharan, reStore, Bengaluru

600. Mrs. Ushajanaka, Retired, Chennai

601. Mrs. Vanathi Sethuraman, Chennai, Tamil nadu

602. Mrs. Varsha Mam, Photographer, Mumbai

603. Mrs. Vasudha Deshpande, Rtd., Pune

604. Mrs. Veena M, Freelance Environment Educator, Trivandrum

605. Mrs. Vijaylakshmi Joshi, PUCL, Jaipur, Rajasthan

606. Mrs. Vithya, Tamil Nadu

607. Mrs. Vrushali Pandhare,    Pune, Maharashtra

608. Mrs. Yamuna, Tamil Nadu    

609. Mrs. Yeshmik Ponnappa, Director, Sapient College, Mysore, Karnataka

610. Ms. Abhaya G, Corporate Lawyer, Mumbai

611. Ms. Abhipsa Routray, Marketing executive, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

612. Ms. Aditi Jain, Textile Designer, Chennai

613. Ms. Ahana Rao, Architect, Goa

614. Ms. Aishvarya Ramasami, Chennai

615. Ms. Amardeep Kaur, Teacher, New Delhi

616. Ms. Ameeta Shah, Psychotherapist & wellness coach, Mumbai, Maharashtra

617. Ms. Anagha BK, Business owner, Pune, Maharashtra

618. Ms. Anagha Walvekar, Technical writer, Pune, Maharashtra

619. Ms. Anita Gandhi, Teacher, Kandivali, W Mumbai

620. Ms. Anitha babu, IT, TamilNadu

621. Ms. Anupama Madan, Yoga instructor, Mysore

622. Ms. Anushka Kale, Independent, Pune, Maharashtra

623. Ms. Aparna Bangia, Co founder of Earth4ever, Mumbai / Wada

624. Ms. Aruna Rodrigues, Environment/Agri Lead Petitioner SC PIL for Moratorium on GMOs, Madhya Pradesh

625. Ms. Atreyee Day, Artist Writer Facilitator, Calcutta

626. Ms. Brindha Sriram, Chennai

627. Ms. Chanda Asani, Tiruchirapalli

628. Ms. Chenddyna Schae, Cafe owner, Bangalore

629. Ms. Chithra Viswanathan, Teacher, Chennai

630. Ms. Dharmambal N A, Chartered Accountant, Ayalur

631. Ms. Diksha Bhosale, Student, Mumbai

632. Ms. Divya, Chennai

633. Ms. G.Kavya, Tutor, Chennai

634. Ms. Gowri Seeragam, Native Store, Coimbatore

635. Ms. Harpreet Singh, Entrepreneur and executive, Mysore, Karnataka

636. Ms. Hetal, Farmer, Bharuch

637. Ms. K Uma, Water management consultant, Bangalore

638. Ms. Kajori Aikat, Kolkata

639. Ms. Kalpana Manohar Dumale, Mumbai

640. Ms. Karthika J, Chartered Accountant, Bangalore

641. Ms. Kavya Chowdhry, Independent Researcher, Bangalore, Karnataka

642. Ms. Krithika, IT, Coimbatore

643. Ms. L Keshavamurthy, Farming, Hosur

644. Ms. Latha B, Independent, Bengaluru

645. Ms. Mahrukh Bulsara, Self employed, Mumbai

646. Ms. Mallika Wwaminadhan, Chennai

647. Ms. Manasi Baindur, Operations Executive, Vadodara, Gujarat

648. Ms. Meera Goradia, Craft Sector, Mumbai

649. Ms. Meera Sanghamitra,    Hyderabad

650. Ms. Nalini Nair, Working with rural women, Trivandrum

651. Ms. Namrata Bhutoria, Natural Dye educator, Mysore

652. Ms. Narasimha Kamath, Mechanic, Kumta

653. Ms. Natasha Agrawal, meditation healing, Mumbai

654. Ms. Neesha Noronha, Freelance facilitator, Mysore

655. Ms. Neetha Narresh, Eco- Volunteer, Chennai

656. Ms. Nida Fatima A B, ISL Interpreter, Mysore

657. Ms. Nirali Vaidya, Writer, Mumbai

658. Ms. Nisha Talreja, Yoga instructor, Mumbai

659. Ms. Nivedita R, TNIVK, Chennai

660. Ms. Pavithra A, Farming, Kerala

661. Ms. Payal Jain, Senior Compliance Manager, Bangalore

662. Ms. Pochi S, Nutrition, Nashik

663. Ms. Prabhs,    Uttrakhand

664. Ms. Pranitha, Social worker, Chennai

665. Ms. Priyanka Mohan, Environmentalist, Chennai

666. Ms. Purobi Menon, Language Instructor, Uttar Pradesh

667. Ms. Purwa Kushwaha, Freelance translator, Hyderabad

668. Ms. Radhika Rammohan, Director, Restore, Health, Livelihoods and Nature, Chennai

669. Ms. Ramba B, Powergrid

670. Ms. Rashmi Mahajan, Researcher, Delhi

671. Ms. Reema Shah, Freelancer, Mumbai, Maharashtra

672. Ms. Rosamma Thomas, Journalist, Pala town, Kerala

673. Ms. Samita Mangat    

674. Ms. Seema Gupta, Communication Facilitator, Surat, Gujarat

675. Ms. Sejal Dand, MAKAAM, Ahmedabad

676. Ms. Shaikh Zoha, Student, Mumbai

677. Ms. Sharmita Ghosh, Research scholar, Navi Mumbai

678. Ms. Shashirekha.M.G, Principal, Purnapramati, Bengaluru

679. Ms. Sheela Balaji, Social entrepreneur and organic farmer, Chennai

680. Ms. Sheelu Francis, Women’s Collective, Chennai

681. Ms. Shweta Bhattad, Gram Art Project, Village Paradsinga, Tehsil Sausar, District Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh

682. Ms. Subha Bharadwaj, Safe Food Alliance, Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh

683. Ms. Sudha Gandekar, NGO, Chennai

684. Ms. Sudha N, Independent researcher-activist, Bangalore, Karnataka

685. Ms. Suma Josson, Film maker, Nagpur, Maharashtra

686. Ms. Sushmitha R.K., Fashion designer, Karnataka

687. Ms. Tara Aslam, Sustainable living, Bangalore

688. Ms. Tejal, Freelance Facilitator, Mumbai

689. Ms. Ulka Shukla, Navi Mumbai

690. Ms. Upma Sharma, Photography, Jhunjhunu

691. Ms. Usha Kumari, Agroecology educator, Trivandrum

692. Ms. Utkarsha Shelke, Pune

Annexure:

There is inadequate information on the impact of on-target and off-target mutations that happen in gene edited crops, making them a risky enterprise

Gene Editing cannot be equated with Natural Mutations as they are not random and it affects all the copies of the gene in the plant as well as regions that are protected and conserved naturally. There could be foreign/exogenous genetic material embedded in the new mutants in the process of transformation and thus, these varieties could be Transgenics. Antibiotic Marker genes have been used for creating these mutants and they might be transmitted to other organisms through Horizontal Gene Transfer.

SDN-1 Gene Editing may lead to unintended off target mutations. Due to random repair mechanisms, it may also lead to structural changes – translocations, duplications, inversions of gene segments. Due to random repair of spliced genes, there could be epigenetic changes. This can generate traits with unknown impacts and lead to toxicity of the environment or impact human & animal health. Such mutant plants cannot be equated with their parents or conventionally-bred plants as the genetic makeup has changed and it is not clear how this new genetic change will react with the environment. Gene Edited Plants can contaminate other conventional varieties & wild relatives. 

The two mutated genes in the two rice varieties developed in India have several known functions including uptake and regulation of nutrients. The long term impact of such changes are not clear without enough experiments and safety research. This may lead to Chromothripsis -where several Genes are changed simultaneously affecting the whole genome.

In the USA, the two cultivated gene-edited maize varieties are for traits that have been earlier created through transgenic technology – insect resistance and herbicide tolerance! What’s more, both these varieties are also transgenic. It is clear where the so-called latest cutting edge technology is actually leading towards. Meanwhile, since there are only a handful of Gene Edited crops being newly developed (Rice, Soybeans, Tomato, Banana, Maize, Cacoa, Pepper, Potato, Wheat, Alfalfa & Flax), evidence on the negative impacts are not yet available widely.

Differences between conventional breeding (including conventional mutation-breeding) and Gene Editing:

It is clear that genome editing cannot be equated with conventional mutation-breeding, as is being done by the Government of India at this point of time. 

Scientific Evidence that shows the need for regulating in a comprehensive and independent fashion SDN-1 and SDN-2 technologies also, as part of regulating all genome editing

Prior to the announcement of the gene-edited rice varieties and development of gene-edited sheep, the Government of India has for all practical purposes deregulated two gene-editing technologies,  SDN-1 and SDN-2. In the past, the Coalition had already written (here and here) to various Government authorities and departments pointing out the dangers of de-regulating gene-editing technologies, pointing out the irreversible risks associated with it. The Coalition had also given detailed feedback on strengthening the regulation for gene-edited crops in India.

Gene Editing is Genetic Engineering as per EPA’s 1989 Rules

Gene Editing is also genetic modification as is apparent from the statutory definition in India of Genetic Engineering. Environment Protection Act 1986’s relevant statutory Rules (1989 Rules which have been created with a view to protect environment, nature and health in connection with the application of gene technology) clearly define Gene Technology as “the application of the gene technique called genetic engineering, including self-cloning and deletion as well as cell hybridisation” (Rule 3(iii)) while Genetic Engineering is defined as “the technique by which heritable material, which does not usually occur or will not occur naturally in the organism or cell concerned, generated outside the organism or the cell is inserted into said cell or organism. It shall also mean the formation of new combinations of genetic material by incorporation of a cell into a host cell, where they occur naturally (self cloning) as well as modification of an organism or in a cell by deletion and removal of parts of the heritable material” (Rule 3(iv)). Gene Editing of ALL kinds is clearly covered in these definitions and the very act of deregulating contradicts the constitution of India. 

In 2018 the European Court of Justice ruled that gene editing (which it called “new mutagenesis  techniques) was indeed GM, gives rise to GMOs, and falls under the scope of the EU GMO regulations. The court stated that the risks linked to the use of these new techniques might prove similar to those posed by older-style GMOs. The public scientific debate is still underway in Europe.

Apart from this, there are many scientific papers from other countries who have been researching gene editing in agriculture for longer and more independently than in India that point to the need for regulating Gene-editing technologies.

Gene Editing is Imprecise and all gene editing needs regulation

Gene editing is not precise. Numerous changes happen in the genome other than the change intended by the geneticist. These changes cannot be ignored because all genes have specific functions in a complex, well-regulated system and the outcomes in real life are unpredictable. The lack of precision means that there is greater unpredictability in varieties bred through this technique. It is often claimed that gene editing is equivalent to traditional breeding techniques, because the intended change does not involve the introduction of foreign DNA. 

Franziska Koller et al (2023)., and Marion Dolezel et al., conclude that when gene-editing is used to produce a new crop, the resulting gene combinations (intended or unintended) may be unlikely to occur with conventional methods and has the potential to affect both health and environment. The assessment of intended as well as unintended genetic changes should be part of a mandatory comprehensive molecular characterisation and risk assessment of gene-edited plants that are meant for environmental releases or for market authorisation.

Further, Katharina Kawall (2021) in her paper shows that small alterations in the genome of crop plants can nevertheless generate complex changes. The paper focuses on SDN-1 applications; it was found that nearly half of plants with so-called market-oriented traits contain complex genomic alterations induced by SDN-1 applications, which may also pose new types of risks. The results highlight the need for plants developed using new genetic engineering techniques to undergo case-specific risk assessment, taking both the properties of the end product and risks posed by the applied procedures into account.

Janet Cotter et al.,(2020) give an overview of the risks associated with gene-editing procedures for plants and animals. The risks are not only restricted to the wide range of unintended effects that can be triggered by the process of gene editing, but also with the intended biological characteristics generated through gene editing.

European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER), a large network of scientists put out a position paper in 2023 on how risks of gene editing techniques apply to SDN-1 as well (the same technique used for gene-edited rice in India). It also pointed out that unintended mutations still accumulate from the different stages and components of the gene editing process.

Eva Gelinsky and Angelika Hilbeck (2018), point out that advocates of the new genetic engineering techniques appear to believe that their benefits are so clear that furnishing reliable scientific evidence is unnecessary. This leads to oversight on the pitfalls of gene editing technology, and may lead to commercialization of gene-edited crops leading to irreversible damage to the environment, animals, and humans. 

Kosicki et al (2018) have shown that repair of double-strand breaks induced by CRISPR–Cas9 leads to large deletions and complex rearrangements.

In the face of such compelling scientific evidence, it is imperative that we subject gene-editing to the strictest of scrutiny. 

Imprecision of, and Unpredictable Changes from the so-called precise gene editing tool: 

To quote a couple of publications that show catastrophic unintended changes, Michael F. Eckerstorfer et al.,(2021) in their review show that gene editing is imprecise and  inaccurate, that changes brought by gene editing are different from those produced by conventional breeding, that gene-editing applications that don’t deliberately introduce “foreign DNA” are not by default safer than genetic engineering methods that do, the fact that some forms of gene editing are meant to only bring “small” changes in DNA is an unreliable denominator of risk/safety, that we possess very little and insufficient knowledge about the off-target modifications brought by some forms of gene-editing to assume safety, and finally the faster development of gene-edited plants is equal to higher  risk.

Further, Aviva Samach et al. (2023), in their paper show that chromothripsis, an extremely damaging form of genomic rearrangement that results from the shattering of individual chromosomes and the subsequent rejoining of the pieces in a haphazard order giving rise to “legitimate safety concerns” happens far more frequently in gene-edited crops than previously thought. It is important to note that chromothripsis refers to a phenomenon in which often several hundred genetic changes occur simultaneously in a catastrophic event. Many sections of the genetic material can be swapped, recombined, or even lost if this occurs. Therefore, evidence points to the fact that gene editing causes genetic changes that are different from those that happen in nature and consequences are poorly understood.

Unreliability of CRISPR/Cas application

There are several scientific papers cautioning us about the irreversible risks associated with Crisper technology, the same technology used in the two recently released gene-edited rice varieties. 

Ali Movahedi et al (2023) show that CRISPR/Cas9 technology raises serious biosafety concerns that require careful consideration, including potential off-target effects and the unintended transfer of modified genes to other organisms.  

Another paper by Katharina Kawall (2019) shows that in conventional breeding and spontaneous mutations, some regions in the genome undergo changes less frequently than others because these regions are especially protected by repair mechanisms in the cell. CRISPR/Cas applications can bypass these naturally occurring processes.

Presence of foreign genetic material

It is also important to note that de-regulated techniques of SDN-1 and SDN-2 gene editing also involve foreign genetic material being used and unintentionally implanted in the host organism.  It is often claimed that gene editing is equivalent to traditional breeding techniques, because the intended change does not involve the introduction of foreign DNA. But this is false, there are several research papers that falsify this claim. For instance, Jungeunet et al (2016) in their research show that foreign DNA and even complete foreign genes can be, and are, introduced into the genome by gene editing techniques, both intentionally and inadvertently. 

For example: Genome edited cattle – modified to have no horns – were found to have about 4000 kbp of superfluous DNA present originating from the bacterial plasmid vector, including two antibiotic resistance genes. This was not established by the producer of the cattle, but by researchers in the regulatory agency FDA. Norris et al. 2020, Nature Biotechnology 38, pages 163–164(2020), doi: 10.1038/s41587-019-0394-6 

Other cases of unintended integration of non-host DNA include: mice (e.g. Ono et al., 2015 and Ono et al. 2019); Plants (e.g. Jacobs et al., 2015, Li et al., 2015); fish (Gutierrez-Triana et al., 2018); fruitflies  (Drosophila melanogaster), nematodes (C. elegans), yeast and other fungi (eg Aspergillus); and planktonic crustaceans (Daphnia magna).

Whilst the insertion of vector DNA into DNA double-strand breaks is in itself a matter of concern, it is of perhaps even greater concern, that any other trace DNA present in the culture medium may be inserted into the host DNA. Ono et al., 2019, for example identified the presence of goat DNA and bovine DNA in the genome of the genome edited mice. This depended on whether goat or foetal calf serum had been used as a culture medium in the experiments. In fact, even retrotransposons had been transferred. In this context it becomes obvious that genome editing may unintentionally become a mechanism for horizontal gene transfer of not only foreign DNA but pathogens alike.

In a recent paper on CRISPR-cas9-mediated HDR  (Skryabin et al. 2020; Science Advances doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aax2941) authors reported not just about the unintended insertion phenomena (both for NHEJ & HDR) but also the difficulty of detecting these. The authors state in their abstract: “Nevertheless, the rapidly evolving technique still contains pitfalls. During the generation of six different conditional knockout mouse models, we discovered that frequently (sometimes solely) homology-directed repair and/or non-homologous end joining mechanisms caused multiple unwanted head-to-tail insertions of donor DNA templates. Disturbingly, conventionally applied PCR analysis, in most cases, failed to identify these multiple integration events, which led to a high rate of falsely claimed precisely edited alleles. We caution that comprehensive analysis of modified alleles is essential and offer practical solutions to correctly identify precisely edited chromosomes.”

Since SDN-1 and SDN-2 gene editing have been effectively de-regulated in India, there is no mechanism by which transparent confirmation (with reports placed in the public domain) can happen with apex regulatory bodies’ involvement (like the GEAC’s) to check whether foreign genetic material is present in the host organism.

High risk associated with gene-edited rice, Kamala and Pusa DST Rice 1 and gene-edited cattle

Evidence points to the fact that gene editing causes genetic changes that are different from those that happen in nature and their consequences are poorly understood. Chu P and Agapito-Tenfen  in their 2022 paper show that identifying certain larger DNA damages could only be possible using whole genome sequencing/long-read sequencing, which is generally not performed. For this and other reasons mentioned in the paper, Chu P et al. point out that the occurrence of unintended DNA damages is underestimated in the literature.

Sukumar Biswas et al. in their paper published in May 2020 conclude that SDN-1 technology, using CRISPR/Cas9 system is imprecise in rice, and that early and accurate molecular characterization and screening must be carried out for many generations. In many cases they found large insertions, deletions, and rearrangements of DNA, raising the possibility that the function of genes other than the one targeted could have been altered.

Also, Antibiotic Resistant Marker genes have been used for creating these mutants and they might be transmitted to other organisms through Horizontal Gene Transfer. There is a risk of antibiotic-resistance being transferred to humans through gene-edited rice. Norris et al (2020), have shown antibiotic resistance genes being transferred unintentionally in gene-edited cattle.

Hoepers et al (2024) show how gene editing has potential to cause unintended adverse impacts in non-target organisms too. 

In the face of such strong evidence, it is unsafe to release the two gene edited varieties of rice Kamala (DRR Dhan 100), developed by the Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Hyderabad, and Pusa DST Rice 1, developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Delhi. They have been developed using SDN-1 technology, using CRISPR/Cas9 system, the exact same technology that Sukumar et al., show is imprecise for rice. In fact, reports have not been put out in the public domain to show that there are no safety concerns around these rice varieties.