GM mustard: With the govt being secretive, a resolution remains elusive

Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave's death has added a fresh twist to the entire episode

Earlier this month, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) gave its nod to the commercial release of genetically modified (GM) mustard.

In its usual discreet manner, the announcement was made unofficially, though within a few minutes the news was all over the place. Till date, there hasn’t been any formal statement from either GEAC or the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on the approval.

What has been placed in the public domain (it was later withdrawn to be reissued after a few days) is a bunch of FAQs on GM mustard, explaining the product, tests, unfounded safety