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Activist Vandana Shiva, an opponent of plant genetic modification (GM) technology, is soliciting signatures on change.org to build pressure on Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar against approving GM mustard for cultivation by farmers.
While the activists are doing their job, which is to agitate, the government is not measuring up to its responsibility. It asserted in Parliament that it will not ban research or cultivation of GM crops. It also declared that there is no credible evidence that GM foods cause harm to humans, livestock or the environment.
More than leftists like Shiva, it is wary of taking on its own ideological affiliates like the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh or the Swadeshi Jagran Manch which are opposed. It is not countering them with facts or argument. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, who should be in the driver’s seat, is talking woo-woo stuff like yogic farming.
The time has come for the government to be decisive. It must go by scientific evidence and let the regulator do its job or announce a ban on cultivation of GM food crops altogether, like some European countries have done. Agri-biotechnology companies can then shift their staff and money elsewhere. Eternal vacillation is not leadership.
Read full, original post: There’s an Agitation Over GM Mustard, But Science Must Prevail
