{"id":87534,"date":"2026-10-28T18:23:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T12:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=87534"},"modified":"2026-10-28T18:24:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T12:54:00","slug":"gm-crops-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/28-10-2026\/gm-crops-in-india","title":{"rendered":"Richard J. Roberts Backed GM Crops for India and Developing World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Biotechnology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Richard J. Roberts,<\/strong> the 1993 Nobel laureate in Medicine, dismissed the idea that <strong>Indians adopting genetically modified crops<\/strong> would <strong>become dependent on foreign companies.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Introduction of GM Crops in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 2002, the government approved the <strong>commercial cultivation of Bt cotton.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>first Bt hybrids<\/strong> incorporating the<strong> cry1Ac gene<\/strong> were approved to resist the <strong>bollworm complex.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By 2006, GEAC had approved<strong> Bollgard II, <\/strong>a second-generation hybrid with two stacked genes.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Till now, it is the<strong> only Genetically Modified (GM) crop that is allowed in India.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In 2010,<\/strong> the Government imposed an <strong>indefinite prohibition on Bt brinjal,<\/strong> a genetically-modified variant of the vegetable.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This was after years of debate on its safety, the financial impact on farmers, and the implications of foreign ownership of the genetic modification technology.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In 2024, the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on GM mustard\u2019s environmental release,<\/strong> but unanimously asked the Centre to frame a national policy on GM crops.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are GM crops?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Crops that have undergone <strong>genetic engineering processes<\/strong> to alter their DNA are referred to as genetically modified crops.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) <\/strong>is a <strong>gene-editing tool<\/strong> in which a guide RNA steers the<strong> Cas9 enzyme<\/strong> to a chosen spot in an organism\u2019s DNA, where it cuts, <strong>letting scientists alter or insert genes at that site.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This alteration is done<strong> to introduce desirable traits<\/strong> such as resistance to pests or herbicides, improved nutritional content, or increased yield.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The process of creating GM crops typically involves:<\/strong> identification of desired traits, isolation of genes, insertion into crop genome, and expression of the trait.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The techniques used in GM crops are:<\/strong> gene guns, electroporation, microinjection, agrobacterium etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The types of modification are: <\/strong>transgenic, cis-genic, subgenic and multiple trait integration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Regulatory Framework<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Under India\u2019s regulatory framework, environmental release of GM crops requires clearance from the<strong> Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) <\/strong>under the <strong>Environment (Protection) Act framework and the 1989 rules<\/strong> governing genetically engineered organisms.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Acts and rules<\/strong> that regulate GM crops in India are:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Environment Protection Act, 1986 (EPA),<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Biological Diversity Act, 2002,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plant Quarantine Order, 2003,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>GM policy under Foreign Trade Policy,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drugs and Cosmetics Rule (8th Amendment), 1988.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Biodiversity Risks:<\/strong> GM crops can affect non-target organisms, promote monocultures, and cause gene flow to native crop varieties, threatening biodiversity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Public Health concerns:<\/strong> Antibiotic resistance markers in GM crops may reduce the efficacy of real antibiotics in humans, raising the risk of antibiotic-resistant <strong>superbugs.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Impact on farmers: <\/strong>High seed costs, dependence on proprietary technology and limited availability of alternative seeds may increase farmers&#8217; dependence on private companies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Corporate control over agriculture: <\/strong>Patents and intellectual property rights over GM technology may concentrate control over seeds and agricultural inputs in a few companies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Legal Inconsistencies:<\/strong> The lack of transparency in issuing <strong>No Objection Certificates (NOCs)<\/strong> for field trials has been questioned by civil society groups.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They argue that public consultation, independent review, and parliamentary oversight are missing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Trade and consumer choice:<\/strong> Differences in GM food regulations across countries may complicate agricultural exports, while inadequate labelling and traceability can limit consumers&#8217; ability to make informed choices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Strengthen Scientific Transparency:<\/strong> Ensure independent, peer-reviewed assessments of GM crop safety and efficacy. Publish trial data in the public domain to build trust and credibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promote Public Engagement: <\/strong>Conduct open consultations with farmers, scientists, and civil society to address concerns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Protect native crop<\/strong> varieties through buffer zones and containment strategies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Empower biosafety and ethics committees<\/strong> with greater independence and accountability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/nobel-laureate-richard-roberts-says-its-nonsense-to-fear-foreign-dependence-due-to-genetically-modified-crop-use\/article71631558.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Richard J. Roberts, the 1993 Nobel laureate in Medicine, dismissed the idea that Indians adopting genetically modified crops would become dependent on foreign companies. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Introduction of GM Crops in India <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> In 2002, the government approved the commercial cultivation of Bt cotton.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The first Bt hybrids incorporating the cry1Ac gene were approved to resist the bollworm complex.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/28-10-2026\/gm-crops-in-india \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87534"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87536,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87534\/revisions\/87536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}