Green ministry reissues GM mustard FAQs

Anti-GM groups argue conflict of interest in Harsh Vardhan's appointment as he holds S&T portfolio

After withdrawing it for a few days, the ministry of environment and forests has brought back its ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (and Answers) list on genetically modified (GM) mustard. These say that safety of GM foods should be assessed case by case, and that those in the international markets have passed all safety tests. 

These FAQs were withdrawn hours after it was issued, days after the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the ministry recommended approval be given for commercial cultivation. The reason given was spelling and grammatical mistakes (the name of the main applicant for GM mustard was mispelt).

The FAQs were