Press release - August 17, 2010
Greenpeace today condemned the UPA Cabinet approval to Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill 2010 and appealed to all political parties to oppose it from being tabled and passed in Parliament .
“Greenpeace appeals to all political parties to demand a withdrawal of the cabinet approval of the BRAI Bill 2010. We also demand a redrafting of the contents post consultations with public as well as all the state governments,” Greenpeace Campaigns Manager Rajesh Krishnan said.
The bill was given a clearance by the Cabinet yesterday.
This approval within a few months of the moratorium on Bt Brinjal in February 2010, seems to be an premeditated effort to re-approve Bt brinjal.
“The BRAI bill is an outcome of a non transparent and non-consultative process, devoid of any public participation or discussions with State governments which have had rejected the introduction of Bt brinjal in February 2010, prior to the moratorium on Bt Brinjal,” Krishnan added.
The bill proposes a centralized technocratic authority to approve GM (genetically modified) crops with no involvement from democratically elected governments, and has a fundamentally erroneous premise on the safety and necessity of GM crops while entirely depending on safety tests conducted by the companies producing GM seeds to evaluate the environment and human health impacts.
Notes to Editor
The BRAI bill 2010 has been approved by the cabinet- source: http://ptinews.com/news/877213_Cabinet-nod-for-biotech-regulator
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Rajesh Krishnan, campaign Manager, Sustainable Agriculture Campaign, Greenpeace- Mob: +91-98456 50032, email: 