Current Science

S. Datta ¹, B. S. Dhillon ², P. L. Gautam ³, J. L. Karihaloo ⁴, M. Mahadevappa ⁵, C. D. Mayee ⁶, G. Padmanaban ⁷, A. Parida ⁸, R. S. Paroda ⁹, M. Sharma ¹⁰, T. R. Sharma ¹¹, N. K. Singh ¹², R. B. Singh ¹³, R. V. Sonti ¹⁴, A. K. Tyagi ¹⁵, A. Varma ¹⁶, K. Veluthambi ¹⁷

Affiliations
1 Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700 019, IN
2 Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004, IN
3 Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Right Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, Societies Block, NASC Complex, DPS Marg, New Delhi 110 012, IN
4 Agrasen Apartment, Plot 10, Sector 7, Dwarka, New Delhi 110 075, IN
5 Division of Rural Development, JSS Mahavidyapeetha, Mysuru 570 004, IN
6 Raviram Residency, 13/1 Chitale Marg, Dhantoli, Nagpur 440 012, IN
7 Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, IN
8 Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar 751 023, IN
9 Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences, Avenue II, Pusa Campus, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012,, IN
10 Indian Institute of Advanced Research, Koba Institutional Area, Gandhinagar 382 007, IN
11 National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Knowledge City, Mohali 140 306,, IN
12 ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnolgy, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012, IN
13 National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, NASC Complex, Dev Prakash Shastri Marg, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, IN
14 National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, IN
15 Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi, South Campus, New Delhi 110 021, IN
16 Advanced Centre for Plant Virology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, IN
17 School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625 021, IN

Abstract

India does not have a clear stand on the release and consumption of genetically modified crops (food). The only approved crop is Bt-cotton, which has put India on the global map as a cotton exporting country. Even so, Bt-brinjal is under moratorium and GM mustard is prevented from undergoing commercial trial. All these decisions are not based on sound scientific principles. Activism against has successfully prevented exploitation of a powerful technology that can contribute to India’s food and nutrition security. This article attempts to give a balanced perspective of genetic modification technology as one of the serious options to be considered on case to case basis. Ambivalence will seriously affect India’s food security in the future.

Keywords

Bt-Cotton, Food Security, Gene Editing, Genetically Modified Crops, Mustard.

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