Kakodkar panel on GM crop field tests to submit report soon

Kakodkar Committee to submit report on GM crops this month

Padma Vibhushan Dr Anil Kakodkar

Staff Reporter
Maharashtra Government’s committee on allowing field tests to genetically modified (GM) crops, headed by eminent nuclear scientist Padma Vibhushan Dr Anil Kakodkar, is finalising its report. The panel is expected to submit its report to the Government this month.
According to Umakant Dangat, Agriculture Commissioner, the committee has prepared its draft. It conducted meetings including one at Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) in Nagpur in the month of May. “The process of finalising minutes of the meetings and compiling the consultations into a report form, is under progress. By the end of this month, the report will be submitted to the Government,” he told ‘The Hitavada’.
Asked about general tone and tenor of the consultations held so far, Dangat said that it would come out only in the report. Once the report was submitted to it, the Government would take appropriate action, he added. The committee would consider various factors while recording its opinion on impact of field trials of GM crops on environment, human beings, cattle, and biodiversity.
Maharashtra Government had appointed the committee to advise the Government on grant of ‘no objection certificates’ for field tests of GM crops. The panel comprises 12 members apart from chairman Dr Kakodkar. Umakant Dangat is the Member Secretary. The members include Dr C D Mayee, former Chairman of Agriculture Scientist Recruitment Board; Dr R B Deshmukh of Maharashtra Dryland Agriculture Campaign; Dr S K Apte, Head of the Department of Molecular Biology, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre; Dr K R Kranthi, Director of CICR; Vice-Chancellors of various agriucltural universities Dr Raviprakash Dani, Dr K E Lavande, Dr S V Sarode, Dr R S Patil, Dr G B Khandagale; Dr Ashok Jadhav, In-charge of State-level Biotechnology Department, Mahatma Phule Agricultural University, Rahuri; and Dr S S Adsul, Director (Input and Quality Control), Agricultural Commissionerate.
Since June 2011, it has been made mandatory for companies to obtain ‘NOC’ from Governments of states where they wanted to conduct field tests. Previously, Maharashtra Government had appointed a committee headed by Agriculture Commissioner to put in place a mechanism for issuance of NOC. It received 27 proposals from 10 private companies/Government establishments seeking NOC for field tests of GM crops. As the task was complicated, the Government scrapped that committee and appointed new panel under Dr Kakodkar.

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