Govt refuses permission to Bt Brinja

Facing intense opposition from within and outside, government on Tuesday refused to give a go-ahead to commercial cultivation of Bt Brinjal, a genetically modified version of the vegetable that is said to be more resistant to pests.

Announcing a cautious approach of the government, Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said there was ‘no clear consensus’ among the scientists and stake-holders on giving permission to Bt Brinjal and more studies needed to be conducted. “There is no over-riding urgency to introduce it... When the public sentiments have been negative, it is my duty to adopt a cautious, precautionary andn principle-based approach," he told a hurriedly-called press conference which was originally scheduled for Wednesday.

“I will not impose a decision till such time independent scientific studies establish safety of the product from long-term view of human health”, Ramesh said. He said it was a difficult decision to take but he had to balance many issues of science and society and producer and consumer.

Posted in: Tabloid

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