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VJAS
urges Indian Supreme Court to know fact that GM food most dangerous to poor
than food security
Bhopal, May 3 (Pervez Bari): The Nagpur-based NGO Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti,
(VJAS), farmers advocacy group opposing the introduction of GM (Genetically
Modified) seeds in India after Vidarbha reported more than 5000 cotton
farmers' suicides since June 2005 when government allowed commercial trials of
Bt. cotton seeds, has been shocked to see media reports about the Supreme
Court of India observation that GM seeds could possibly be a means to
eradicate hunger and poverty.
In a letter to Chief Justice of Supreme Court VJAS president Kishor Tiwari has
urged SC to go into details of all aspects of unsafe GM food as any SC
observation may lead to major health and ecological problem before the nation.
“Eradication of poverty and hunger is a must in India but with introduction of
GM food, it should not eradicate all poor”, Tiwari added in the letter.
The Supreme Court observation that poverty is probably more dangerous than the
side-effects of GM seeds is not true as per research reports. It is
internationally known fact that GM food has caused a series of health problems
including adverse effects on growth, impaired immune system, and organ damage
that can be carried over generations. The pertinent danger that inadequately
tested GM could pose to consumer health, agriculture, environment, and even
revenues earned from food exports, cannot be denied.
Some experts observed that “We will survive without GM food but we will never
be able to survive the change unleashed by the tide of modification that is
called Genetic Engineering”
It may be pointed here that the Supreme Court on Thursday last had tried to
strike a balance between the apprehended side-effects of genetically modified
seeds and food-grains and the high-incidence of hunger and poverty in India.
Hearing PILs seeking stringent regulatory mechanism and advanced testing for
the toxicity of the genetically modified organisms (GMOs), a Bench comprising
Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P Sathasivam and J M Panchal said
the GM seeds capable of dramatically increasing productivity could be an
answer to the hunger and poverty in India.
"There is intense competition between GM seed marketing agents. We are a
little suspicious of the literature they put forth. GM seeds could possibly be
a means to eradicate hunger and poverty. Poverty is probably more dangerous
than the side-effects of GM seeds," the Bench said.
Countering the perception of the apex court, advocates Sanjay Parikh and
Prashant Bhushan had argued that when the country's regulatory regime was lax
and there were no advanced laboratories to test the toxicity of the GMOs, open
field trials of such genetically modified seeds could result in an
irreversible catastrophe.
They suggested intense reworking of the existing regulatory regime and setting
up of a National Centre for Assessment of GMOs, as suggested by a member of
the expert committee, Dr. P. M. Bhargava.
The Bench asked the Centre to submit its response by the end of August
regarding setting up of a separate the National Centre for Assessment of GMOs
and also the need for constituting a separate expert committee to chalk out a
comprehensive regulatory mechanism with regard to GMOs.
Meanwhile, Vidarbha has been facing a lot of health problems after the field
trials of GM cotton seeds. The health and environmental impact studies
conducted by expert NGOs has already reported major damages to rural life of
west Vidarbha including multiple issues of mealy bug’s wide spread in forest
damaging lot of plants. Fresh attacks of new viruses like Chikungunia has
created massive health problems in tribal parts of Vidarbha and much more
health damage to rural masses.
Hence, the introduction of GM food in Vidarbha needs more stringent regulator
to monitor ecological disorder due to toxicity of GM food as reported
throughout the world .(pervezbari@eth.net)
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