Holding that some of the fears over BT Brinjal are legitimate, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh today advocated for a "reasoned debate" in the country over the issue.
Ramesh, who as Environment Minister had opposed Bt Brinjal, regretted that his government has not been able to fulfil three key milestones required for lifting of moratorium on the genetically-modified vegetable.
The milestones are -- setting up of an independent regulator, taking all states on board over the issue and developing a concensus amongst the scientific community about what the protocol for the tests should be.
"We need a reasoned debate in our country. Unfortunately this is not generating a reasoned debate. Some fears are legitimate. The most legitimate fear is the control of seeds by one company. There are many other exagerated fears that can be addressed over a period of time," he said.
He was speaking at a lecture on "State, science and national specificity: Cotton to Brinjal in India by Professor Ronald Herring of Cornell University, US.
Ramesh rued the absence of a large public domain in Biotechnology in India.
"The Chinese have been successful because they have a very large public domain biotechnology... I am very ambivalent when I see all research being monopolized by private companies. This is something which I am not able to relate to. These are concerns that have to be addressed and they are not being addressed," he said.
