“An act is usually brought in to solve a
problem, but I do not know what problem the Biotechnology Regulatory
Authority Bill is going to solve?” said Justice JC Verma at a
discussion forum “Alliance for GM-Free and Safe Food” where lawyers,
activists and scientists from across the region assembled to discuss
the proposed Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill.
The question put up did not remain unanswered,
but got a consensus that the Bill would only create problems for
Indians and would profit the multinational companies, who were pushing
this Bill into Parliament.
“If the Bill is
passed in Parliament, then the company, Monsanto, promoting the GM
crops, would be the another form of the East India Company, which
would control the whole food chain of
India,”
said Reeta Kohli, an eminent lawyer.
Navkiran Singh, another advocate, said: “To stop
this Bill, we need to educate the farmers about its consequences
because these are the people of whom the government of India is afraid
of as they constitute their major vote bank.”
Throwing light on the objectionable provisions
of the Bill, social activist Hemant Goswami said: “Agriculture is a
state subject as mentioned in the Article 246 of the constitution, but
there is no state representation in the proposed Bill. The Bill does
not come under the criminal procedure amounting to very less
punishment for the person who harms a human life. Even the Bill
exempts itself from the Right to Information Act by adding the phrase
‘confidential commercial information’ in the Bill”.
Kavitha Kuruganti, member of the Alliance for GM
Free and Safe Food, who was the keynote speaker and is spearheading
the countrywide campaign against GM crops said, “The Bill comes under
the Ministry of Science and Biotechnology, which is wrong as this is
the company which is promoting the GM crops. The Bill should come
under either the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Environment.
Also the decisions about the crops would be taken by a team of just
three technical experts with no representation from state and public.”
She said that by allowing GM crops in India, we would allow toxins to
enter our food from where our thought process is directly related.
Alliance for GM Free and Safe Food is an
alliance that is working hard for stopping the BRAI as they believe
that the bill is commerce friendly but not people friendly.
The alliance is seeking a large- scale public
participation and has resolved to stop the Bill from becoming a law.
