The government is in a hurry to approve the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) bill in the upcoming Parliament session, says an environmentalist

A letter is already written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting him to rethink about his role.

According to the version leaked by the media, the BRAI bill can clear genetically modified (GM) foods, ignoring all the concerns raised against them. This bill threatens our food safety, environment and our right to choose what we eat. Instead, the government needs to come up with a regulation to keep our food safe from the unscrupulous multinational seed giants.

Last year, some NGOs sent open letters to National Advisory Council head Ms Sonia Gandhi, asking her to stop the bill. The bill is back and can be tabled in the Parliament soon. We need to write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ask him to stop this bill and come with a regulation to ensure protection from risky GM crops instead.

Civil society groups and individuals have already written to the PM, asking him not to table the bill. Thousands of signatures on the BT brinjal petition and general public opposition stopped its commercialization last year. Lots of letters asking the PM to stop the bill will help put pressure on him and the cabinet to act.

In the last publicly available draft leaked by the media, the bill allows BRAI to escape the purview of Right to Information. If the bill is passed as is, the public will be unable to stop genetic contamination of rice or 56 other crops whose GM versions are in the pipeline.

A green activist Rajesh Krishnam says, "If the government has its way, our plates will be full of potentially toxic GM foods. They need to know that we want our food to be safe. Write to the PM now and ask him to stop this bill and bring in a regulation to ensure protection from risky GM crops.

 

National News inextlive from India News Desk