The Bt brinjal furore has brought to light a little-known government notification that plucked 190 species of plants out of the protective sphere of a law on biodiversity, triggering fears among some environmental groups that these biological resources may now be plundered with ease. The environment ministry had declared in the notification last year that the provisions of the National Biodiversity Act — India’s only legislation to protect its biodiversity —...

In India, the Bt Brinjal is a hot potato. Never has the eggplant - still cheap in an inflation-hit country - attracted so much attention. "Brief 38", a primer on Bt Brinjal - the country's first genetically modified (GM) food - brought out by the International Service for Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, is being downloaded 10,000 times a month. Genetically modified crops resist pests and give better yields as well as nutrition....

Another food crisis? This time it’s not shortages but prices—a plain failure of responsive policy and execution. Zooming food prices are raising political temperatures yet again. The rumblings, for once, are not merely restricted to the opposition parties, but evident within the ruling coalition as well. Though attacks from across the political spectrum have become a bit subdued of late, the target remains Union agriculture and food minister Sharad Pawar. And...

Three years ago, Donel Ajai Courtney came to Bastar for the first time as a tourist after his mother told him about the tribal heartland in Chhattisgarh. Now this 33-year-old lawyer in the United States runs a ‘Dhurwa patasala’, a unique school that aims to protect and revive the tribal Dhurwa dialect and the community’s fading culture and traditions. Every Sunday afternoon, more than 35 children and a few elders...

The nationwide public consultations on commercialisation of Bt brinjal concluded here on Saturday amid chaos and deep divisions among stakeholders over the acceptability of genetically modified food crops. Disclosure of details of a gazette notification that has kept 190 plant species, including brinjal, out of the purview of the Biological Diversity Act added to the controversy. The exercise, which witnessed frequent disruptions by both pro and anti-GM technology groups, saw tempers...