GM Crops in India: Bt Cotton, GM Mustard and Supreme Court
Why in the news
With the Supreme Court about to take up the GM mustard dispute, attention turned to India’s stand on genetically modified crops.
Key facts
- GM mustard remains unreleased because of legal challenges; parties must file written arguments within a week.
- An earlier two-judge bench split on the issue and asked the Centre to frame a national GM crop policy.
- The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) advises the Environment Ministry on this.
- Activists’ safety and environmental worries have stalled the mustard, developed with public money.
| Bio-economy (DBT report) | Value |
|---|---|
| Total | About $165.7 billion |
| Bio-agriculture | About $13.5 billion |
Policy
- The BioE3 policy targets biotechnology in agriculture, medicine and industry.
- Minister Jitendra Singh said India should not hold back biotech progress.
Exam angle
- Only GM crop allowed: Bt cotton.