The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, under the environment ministry has given clearance to a few companies and research institutes to conduct field trials for genetically modified rice, wheat, maize, castor and cotton. THIS IS A WELCOME DEVELOPMENT AFTER A DREARY PERIOD during which the ministry announced a moratorium on the commercial release of Bt brinjal (eggplant/vaangi/kathirikkai) AFTER it had been cleared via extensive evaluations by around 200 scientists and experts over 15 public and private sector institutions. Unfortunately, the matter has become quite politicized, with opposing parties calling GM crops the latest version of the way East India Company colonized India, and demanding low-cost, toxin-free ecological farming practices as an alternative. Such Rousseausque demands can be quite dangerous: under their spell, India's first Green Revolution would never have taken off because it was accompanied by problems like groundwater exhaustion and pesticide abuse. GM technology has already transformed India into the world's second-largest producer of cotton, via pest-resistant modifications. (Me: This is indeed cause for some celebration for me, because I have been consistently driving home that science, only science, can solve the gigantic food problem that India faces. The Indian lobbies – the very many assorted NGOs - against science in general and GM in particular, are either uninformed ignoramuses, free publicity-seekers or have their own personal agendas. The question is simple: do we let the people die of starvation and malnutrition or give a chance to science to prove its worth, as it indeed always has? It is undeniable that the plethora of vaccines has eradicated much of the then killer or maiming diseases like smallpox, whooping cough, diphtheria, polio etc. and if the longevity of average Indian has increased from 42 in 1947 to 65-67 now, it is in no small measure thanks to modern science/medicines. If these anti-science NGO worthies existed then, they would have effectively and successfully thwarted all attempts to introduce these wonder drugs. Every wonder drug has side-effects on a miniscule number of the population as each individual is unique with varying body constituent. Of course, if these wise guys did exist then and did prevent the wide-spread use of the vaccines, India's population would have remained static at 36 crores (360 million) vs. 1.25 billion now and poverty wouldn't have reached this level!! And thank goodness, too, though there was initially stiff opposition to e-governance/computerization in railways and banking services from interested employees, better sense in the higher echelons prevails and the results are for all to see). It is indeed sad that we Indians don't give due weightage or credit to the opinions of even foremost scientists like Dr. Abdul Kalam on nuclear power and other issues.)
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