Greenpeace seeks Sonia’s intervention for redrafting bill

NEW DELHI - Environmental NGO Greenpeace Saturday sought National Advisory Council (NAC) chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s intervention for redrafting a proposed legislation that will act as a single window clearance mechanism for GM crops in the country.

According to the organisation, the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill, cleared by the cabinet early this week, proposes a centralised technocratic decision-making authority with no scope for democratic intervention.

“The BRAI will be the apex authority for taking decision on GM food. It gives no role to state governments in the approval of GM crops even though agriculture is a state subject under the Indian constitution,” said Rajesh Krishnan, the Sustainable Agriculture Campaign manager of Greenpeace India.

He said sections of the bill supersede the Right to Information Act and place the decision to disclose information for public interest with the authority instead of the Central Information Commission or the Delhi high court.

“The BRAI would kill any informed public debate on GM crops in future, one of the aspects that helped in stopping Bt Brinjal,” Krishnan said.

“BRAI kills consumer choice and promotes GM polluters as it has no provision for labelling of GM crops, or liability of the crop developer due to economic losses by contamination,” he said.