Evaluation of transgenic crops

Lok Sabha

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has been regularly undertaking capacity building activities for enhancing biosafety awareness and regulatory compliance, since 2002.This is being done in collaboration with the R & D institutions Training of scientists of 19 State Agricultural Universities with respect to use of new guidelines for confined field trials, safe operation practices, formats for monitoring and recording of data, etc, has been completed during 2008-09. The training was funded jointly by Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and MoEF.

Further on behalf of MoEF, DBT, Ministry of Agriculture and Indian Council of Medical Research, the Biotech Consortium India Limited has organized 79 awareness workshops on Genetically Modified (GM) crops with a focus on post-release monitoring in all major Cotton growing States during 2006-07 to 2008-09. Global Environment Facility (GEF) Phase I Project on biosafety was completed in June 2007 by the MoEF with GEF-World Bank assistance of one million US $, of which approximately 60% was utilized for capacity building. MoEF is developing the GEF phase-II Capacity Building Project on Biosafety which would include (i) Risk Assessment and Management; (ii) Handling, Packaging and Transportation of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs); (iii) Institutional Strengthening for LMO Detection; (iv) Socio Economic Assessment; (v) Public Awareness; and (vi) Training of Trainers.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh in a written reply to a question by Shri. Moinul Hassan in Rajya Sabha today.

KP