Pointing out that other legislative Bills are providing more opportunity for citizens’ feedback than what has been given on the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill, 2013, food and farm activists wonder how any meaningful public participation is possible in 30 days.
“This is a highly controversial Bill, and this Bill will decide what all Indians will eat! This Bill seeks to set up a fast-track single-window clearance system for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and the Parliamentary Committee with which it has ended up in giving just 30 days’ time for public views. This is not acceptable,” said farm activists of Odisha.
The Rajya Sabha Secretariat has issued an advertisement on June 11, regarding the BRAI Bill 2013. According to the advertisement, public feedback in writing is being sought by the Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment & Forests for only up to July 10.
“The Bill affects every citizen in the country and encompasses issues related to human and animal health, environmental safety, livelihoods, trade, and above all, food safety, food and seed sovereignty. Therefore, we urge the Chair of the Science & Technology Committee, to which the Bill has been referred, to extend the feedback time to 90 days. Also, we strongly believe that a legislation that can impact so many areas of our life should be finalised only after countrywide public consultations are held so that people can participate in large numbers,” said Debjeet Sarangi of living Farms.
“The BRAI Bill has been a very controversial piece of legislation since its inception, and has caused considerable alarm among many stakeholders. Modern biotechnology, particularly environmental release of GMOs, is very controversial the world over, and has caused considerable concern, with bans in many countries, moratoria and other restrictions. Serious problems with the technology have emerged in countries that have adopted it, including negative trade impact and massive losses for farmers due to contamination incidents (the recent contamination of American wheat is an illustration). A compilation of over 400 studies which point to the problems with transgenics in agriculture has been put together by the Coalition for a GM-Free India showing that there is much scientific grounding to what citizens have been raising as a matter of concern. It is apparent that any Bill that shapes the future of regulation in India with regard to modern biotechnology has to provide ample opportunity to all sections of society to participate,” said Saroj Mohanty of Paschim Odisha Krushak Samanvay Samiti.
“The introduction of the Bill in Parliament and the subsequent processes have also been contentious. The Minister in charge had recommended that it go to a Joint Committee, appreciating the fact that this covers various important issues spanning food, farming , health , trade and environment. Despite that, the Bill was referred to this Standing Committee on Science & Technology, which apparently is unprecedented in Indian Parliament history,” they said.
Speaking to the media in this context, the activists urged the Naveen Patnaik Government in Odisha to play its role to ensure that such a Bill does not get passed by Parliament.
“We urge the State Government, which is asserting the federal polity enshrined in the Indian Constitution, to give its views on the Bill and ensure that the Bill is withdrawn and a Biosafety Protection Authority, as recommended by the Standing Committee on Agriculture, be brought in. The expediency clause in the Bill, whereby the Union Government wants to keep regulatory control with itself, will take away the Constitutional authority of the State Governments over agriculture,” explained Debjeet Sarangi.
“We hope the State Government will also point to the other serious flaws in the Bill, and we urge the two Parliamentarians from Odisha who are on the Standing Committee to take note of all the serious concerns with this Bill,” said Sarangi.