बीटी बैंगन  की खेती को जेनेटिक इंजीनियरिंग  एडवाइजरी कमिटी की हरी  झंडी मिलने के साथ एक बार  फिर आनुवांशिक रुप से प्रवर्धित बीजों के इस्तेमाल का  सवाल मीडिया की सुर्खियों में है।जेनेटिक इंजीनियरिंग एडवाइजरी कमिटी वन और पर्यावरण मंत्रालय से जुड़ी एक नियामक संस्था है। वैज्ञानिक की टोली वाली इस समिति ने पिछले १४ अक्तूबर को बीटी बैंगन की व्यावसायिक खेती को निरापद करार देते हुए हरी झंडी दे दी थी।     बीटी बैंगन की खेती को निरापद करार देने के समिति...

In a new initiative, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has turned to non-governmental organisations to reach their technologies to farmers. The extension wing of the IARI on Wednesday interacted with representatives of 25 select NGOs working with farmers to draw a strategy for location specific technology transfer. As a special incentive, the IARI agreed to give free need-based, area-specific seeds...

The Bhilwara social audit team repeatedly came up against resistance. Yet the coming together of civil society and government in Rajasthan augurs well for the future of NREGA.  For watchers of India’s grassroots democracy, the place to be in recently was Bhilwara in Rajasthan; the town and the countryside were decked out in carnival colours for an audit exercise that saw thousands come together — social rights activists led by...

On the day when the commercial release of Bt Brinjal was recommended by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) denied that Pusa Basmati 1121 rice (exported to the Middle East) was genetically modified as reported in a section of the Iranian Press. Obviously, the genetically modified rice has no export market, and attempts to brand Pusa 1121 as such were done on trade considerations to...

Civil society groups have cautioned the government against introducing genetically modified crops in the food chain and questioned the credentials of a panel of experts to look into the biosafety of Bt Brinjal, which will come up before the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) on Wednesday. The committee was set up by the GEAC to look into the findings of independent experts who raised concerns at the safety of Bt...