Notice to Union minister over HT varieties of rice
Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan has issued a notice to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, demanding criminal proceedings against officials for allowing two new herbicide-tolerant (HT) rice varieties, Pusa Basmati Rice 1979 and 1985, without proper authorization. Bhushan cites a Supreme Court order requiring a national policy on GMOs and the withholding of GMO releases until then. He argues that these HT rice varieties were approved without necessary clearance from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, potentially violating environmental regulations and increasing costs for small farmers.
Bathinda: Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Prashant Bhushan has sent a notice to Union environment, forest and climate change minister Bhupender Yadav to initiate criminal proceedings under Section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, against the authorities concerned, who failed to adhere to the rules, by allowing two new varieties of herbicide tolerant (HT) rice for commercial cultivation. Citing the SC order of July 23, Bhushan stated that failure to initiate immediate action would possibly constitute contempt of the SC order
Earlier, a number of agri scientists and environmentalists had opposed the new varieties of HT basmati rice released for commercial cultivation by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR).
Bhushan has asked the Union minister to take notice of the SC judgment of July 23 in the matter of Aruna Rodrigues and others vs Union of India, wherein inter alia, the Supreme Court had directed the Union of India to form a national policy on genetically modified organisms.
He said until such time, release of all GMOs should be withheld.It has come to fore through media reports that Pusa Basmati Rice 1979 and Pusa Basmati Rice 1985, which are HT crops, have been approved for commercial release.Bhushan stated this commercial release was in the teeth of the SC judgment.
Moreover, it would appear that the HT rice variants have been illegally approved for commercial release without taking necessary approval from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the ‘Rules for manufacture, use/import/export and storage of hazardous micro-organisms/genetically engineered organisms or cells, 1989’.
Notably, the technical expert committee appointed by the SC had recommended a complete ban on HT crops due to their hazardous effect on the environment.As per agri scientists, say this can lead to a loss of genetic diversity in Indian rice. The farmers will need to use multiple herbicides to control different types of weeds, increasing cultivation costs.
This can be particularly challenging for small farmers who may not have the resources to adopt such practices, they added. Earlier, Aruna Rodrigues had written to the ICAR
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