-The Tribune Kaithal: The Agriculture Department with Krishi Vigyan Kendra organised a kisan mela here yesterday to generate awareness against stubble burning and propagate scientific options to manage crop residue. Dr Gurbachan Singh, Chairman, Agriculture Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), informed farmers about the adverse impact of stubble burning on the environment and human health. He advised the farmers to adopt resource conservation technologies and use crop residue for soil health improvement, reducing...

-The Indian Express The opposition’s main contention is that the GM mustard hybrid incorporates three alien genes — barnase, barstar and bar — rendering it inherently unsafe for human and animal health. Fifty years ago, Union Minister for Food and Agriculture Chidambaram Subramaniam took the decision to import 18,000 tonnes of seeds of Lerma Rojo 64A and Sonora 64 wheat from Mexico. The seeds arrived just in time for their planting in...

-The Indian Express Inclusive agricultural growth is key to removing poverty by 2030. Eradicating poverty from the planet was the top-most target in a set of 17 goals adopted by the UN last September as a part of its sustainable development agenda. Nations across the globe, including India, endorsed it. The strategies to achieve this goal have been left open to countries. In this context, the Rural Development Report (RDR) 2016 of...

-Business Standard Court to hear petition against release, field testing of all GM crops on that day The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the commercial release of the genetically modified (GM) variety of mustard till October 17, on a petition that this could have severe consequences on the environment and human health. The petition, filed a day earlier by an Aruna Rodriguez, had sought a moratorium on open-field trials and commercial release of...

-The Hindu SC will hear petition on Friday; comments invited by environment ministry have to be vetted Even though transgenic mustard (GM mustard) may have been declared safe by a government sub-committee, it may yet remain in the can for an indefinite period. On Friday, the Supreme Court is expected to hear a petition by anti-GMO (genetically modified organism) campaigner Aruna Rodrigues, who argues that the Centre’s preliminary clearance to GM mustard, named Dhara Mustard...