India has a robust regulatory framework for ensuring bio-safety of all types of genetically engineered organisms and is supported by a series of guidelines to deal with various aspects, a top official heading the country's biotech regulator GEAC today said.
The comments come in the backdrop of concerns raised by anti genetically modified crops activists on the process currently being undertaken by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Environment Ministry for GM mustard which they have termed as "meaningless and unscientific".
"India has a robust regulatory framework for ensuring biosafety of all types of genetically engineered organisms under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. These regulations are supported by a series of guidelines to deal with various aspects," said Amita Prasad, Chairperson GEAC.
Prasad was speaking at the three-day annual event South Asia Biosafety Conference (SABC) at Hyderabad where 13 nations are participating to share international experience amongst scientists and regulators in biotechnology, environmental risk assessment and biosafety regulation in South Asia.
"Capacity-building and sharing of experience has to be a continuous activity to ensure effective implementation of the biosafety regulations.
Such activities also help in increasing awareness and creating an environment of understanding among various stakeholders," said Prasad who is also the additional secretary in the Union Environment Ministry.
GEAC had constituted a sub-committee of scientific experts to examine the biosafety data on GM mustard.
The report was placed on the Environment Ministry's website, inviting comments from stakeholders within a period of 30 days before the biotech regulator took a decision.
Anti-gm activists have alleged that the sub-committee did not have any health expert and three of its members have conflict of interest.
The Ministry had yesterday said that the sub-committee had experts in subjects "relevant" to safety evaluation of the hybrid including a health expert.
Prasad also appreciated the research efforts in biotechnology and commended the research institutions for their R&D initiatives towards developing newer products relevant to the national needs.
Vice President, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), Anupam Verma said that the modern world is facing enormous challenges to achieve food security.
In the backdrop of increasing demand for food, dwindling natural resources and increasing biotic and abiotic stresses as a result of intensification of agriculture and climate change, the world has no option, but to accelerate utilisation of the available and emerging technologies for improving world food production, he said.
He stressed that agriculture biotechnology is a powerful tool for addressing the emerging challenges, as already demonstrated by the fast adoption of such technologies in dealing with biotic and abiotic stresses.
More than two hundred participants from Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Philippines, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tajikistan, and USA are participating in the Conference.
The inaugural session also witnessed the release of Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) guidance documents, recently adopted by the Indian regulatory authorities to strengthen the ERA process.
This is the fourth Conference, with the first three Conferences being held in New Delhi, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
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