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ShareMumbai: Our fundamental rights are being violated by our own ministers and civil servants. I don't think they must go to the extent of deciding what we should eat and drink. Many years ago, iodised salt was shoved down our throats, although only a small section of the population suffered from iodine deficiency. Since others did not require ingestion of iodine, the consumption did damage to their health.
Now, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have approved the release of Bt brinjal. Farmers have had a disastrous experience with Bt cotton.
There is strong evidence that GM crops affect human beings and animals. In Madhya Pradesh, agricultural labourers handling Bt cotton complained of allergic reactions like 'mild to severe itching'. In severe cases, the eyes also become red, swollen, with excessive tears, nasal discharge and sneezing.
More irritants have been reported from other Bt cotton-growing states too. In Andhra Pradesh, studies by an NGO have found that Bt cotton cultivators continued to use pesticides on a large scale, which belies the claim that Bt cotton would reduce pesticide use. The crops produced 'hitherto unseen diseases' in soil.
Bt brinjal could become a serious health risk. While some developed countries do not approve of genetically modified crops (GMC) and consider them unsafe for human consumption and cultivation. Vested interests in our own government seem to have colluded with the corporate groups involved in the GM food industry, against public interest.
Scientific panels of the FSSAI consist of interested parties. Obviously, in this case, both the examinee and examiner are the same. And the decision will, of course, be in favour of the GMC producers. Indians have always been used as guinea pigs and that will continue in the case of Bt brinjal and other GM crops. Do we have the freedom of choice?
