Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee has taken serious exception to the government issuing an order allowing conduct of GM crop field trials.
The TPCC Kisan Kheth Department chairman M. Kodanda Reddy and former Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy at a press conference here on Tuesday faulted the TRS government for giving ‘no objection certificate’ for conduct of GM crop field trials.
The GO 496 said in the recent past bio-technology has become an important source of crop improvement and BT research was progressing at an accelerated pace not only all over the world but required encouragement in Telangana also. The government reasoned that the system of regulating BT research was fairly well established at the Central level scientific institutions, universities and bio-technology companies were conducting basic trials (strip test) and larger bio-safety research trials (BRL) 1 and 2 in the State based on the approved given by the review committee on Genetically Modified crops (RCGM) and Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).
All-party meeting
The Congress party, however, charged that if the trials were allowed farmers in the State would be badly affected. It requested the government to reconsider its decision to allow trials. Mr. Kodanda Reddy said only GM cotton trials are allowed and when the Centre tried to allow BM brinjal trials, it was the State Congress, which had petitioned the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to drop the move. He demanded that the State government convene an all-party meeting to discuss the issue
Meanwhile, the TPCC Government Schemes Monitoring Committee headed by Mr. Suresh Reddy held its meeting at Gandhi Bhavan. Speaking to reporters, he said despite so many objections and suggestions coming on Pranahita Chevella irrigation scheme, the government had ignored it.
