India says 'no' to Bt brinjal

Bt Brinjal is a transgenic brinjal created out of inserting a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into Brinjal. The insertion of the gene into the Brinjal cell in young cotyledons, which yields brinjal in large numbers. This is said to give the Brinjal plant resistance against lepidopteran insects like the Brinjal Fruit and Shoot Borer (Leucinodes orbonalis) and Fruit Borer (Helicoverpa armigera). It is reported that upon ingestion of the Bt toxin by the insect, there would be disruption of digestive processes, ultimately resulting in the death of the insect.
Several studies on Bt crops in particular and GM crops in general show that there are many potential health hazards in foods bio-engineered in this manner. GM-fed animals in various studies have shown that there are problems with growth, organ development and damage, immune responsiveness and so on. With Bt crops, a recent study from Madhya Pradesh in India shows adverse human health impacts in farm and factory workers with allergies caused by Bt Cotton. Itching skin, eruptions on the body, swollen faces etc., were also reported, correlated with levels of exposure to Bt Cotton.
Finally after weeks of a debate, India on Tuesday came out with a strong 'no' to the commercial release of Bt Brinjal, saying there was no clear consensus in the scientific community. Bringing forward by a day a decision that was to be announced Wednesday, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said he took the 'precautionary approach' because of sharp divisions among Indian scientists. The momentous decision was received with keen interest because India would have been the first country to introduce the genetically modified food crop. India is the world's largest brinjal producer.Ramesh told reporters that he was imposing a moratorium on the release of Bt Brinjal till independent scientific studies satisfy both public and professionals 'the safety of the product from the point of view of long-term impact on human health and environment'.
The minister pointed out that besides green activists and farmers, governments of 11 states which account for most of India's brinjal output had bitterly opposed Bt Brinjal.