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Bhubaneswar: The National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority (NBRA) Bill has now been modified to the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill. The new bill has two clauses which have left civil society workers, activists, and lawyers as well as farmers bodies fuming.
The first clause is that information sought under the RTI Act may be negated by citing the information to be confidential. What is more draconian is that anybody who tries to “mislead the public” without having “scientific evidence” can be imprisoned for not less than six months, which can be extended up to one year and imposed a fine of Rs. 2 lakhs or both.
According to Dr Shiv Chopra, Microbiologist, who was in Bhubaneswar recently, “If accepted, Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) will become the most offensive authority against the cultivation, trade and consumption of food and agricultural products of one's choice, by imposing GE food and crops upon the Indian population. It will be unconstitutional and contrary to natural law.
”It will be similar to what India faced due to imposition of salt tax during the British rule. It must be resisted by the same method and force that Mahatma Gandhi and his 78 disciples employed for the Salt March to protect a fundamental human right to obtain just one natural and major ingredient of food - salt.
”BRAI is designed to preclude the public's right to grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat each and every food that nature makes.”
“It will also add to the five damaging types of food that we are forced to consume today. They are hormones, unsafe antibiotics, slaughter house waste, pesticides and now GM.”
He was speaking on a seminar organised jointly by the United Coalition against Genetic Engineering (UNCAGE) and South against Genetic Engineering (SAGE).
Uncage Convener; Prof Radhamohan expressed his displeasure when he said that such acts (BRAI) go against the Indian Constitution that guarantees the freedom of speech and expression. Every one has the right to decide what type of food he/she would eat.
Plant breeder and a senior member of Uncage Sri Natabara Sarangi opined that there are safer alternatives to chemical unsustainable agriculture that are unfortunately being ignored. Pest attacks were never a problem for the farmer before Green Revolution changed the nature of and killed the philosophy behind agriculture.
Sri P V Satheesh of SAGE is of the opinion that the Bill presupposes that GM foods are safe and procedural regulations and stifling dissenting voices are the only problems. SAGE wants the BRAI to be placed under the Ministry of Environment and Forests as the issue was of threat to health and the environment besides biodiversity.
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