The controversy around Bt brinjal has served at least one good purpose. The government has fast-tracked the process of setting up a biotechnology regulator. A regulatory authority is to be set up under an Act of Parliament. A longstanding proposal that has been gathering dust in the Department of Biotechnology has seen the light of day. The Union Cabinet is expected to consider this proposal and bring it to Parliament....

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday urged agricultural scientists to double their efforts to remove all misgivings on genetically modified (GM) crops from the minds of policy makers and the public. Inaugurating a two-day conference of Vice Chancellors of agricultural universities and meeting of Directors of Indian Council of Agriculture Research here, he said, “The recent decision on Bt. brinjal should not be seen as a setback to our...

India’s leading agricultural scientist, an architect of the green revolution who has no ideological opposition to the genetic engineering of plants, contributed to the moratorium imposed on genetically modified brinjal today. Environment minister Jairam Ramesh, who announced the moratorium on the cultivation of a brinjal variety engineered to kill insect pests, said he had several discussions with agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan before his decision. Swaminathan had advised Ramesh to assess the...

This is what we like to see: a true leader in toxics-free electronics showing giants like Dell and Samsung how it's done. One of India's relatively small PC manufacturing companies, Wipro, has beaten giants like Dell, Samsung and Lenovo to the finish line in producing a computer free of the worst toxic chemicals. A major first in India, the announcement marks another success for our green erelectronics campaign in driving...

In the debate on development paradigm Jawaharlal Nehru is frequently presented predominantly as a strong advocate of heavy industry, large dams and big machines - someone who placed big hopes in modern technology. However, a more careful reading of several of his writings presents a different picture of a thoughtful mind troubled by several aspects of modern technology and industrial society, a mind which was prepared to go back hundreds...