News is just in that Environmental Minister Jairam Ramesh has declared a moratorium on Bt Brinjal in India. He said that without independent studies on long term health impacts of Genetically Modified brinjal, and with no scientific consensus on Bt Brinjal he is using the pre-cautionary principle to say no to Bt Brinjal. We congratulate India for standing up to the push of Bt Brinjal by seed companies and for protecting its environment and food soverignity. Hard work by various organizations including the GM Free-India, Green Peace, Thanal, Kheti Virasat Mission and Association for India's Development as well as great work by several scientists and environmental activists has helped prevail over extremly poor "research" on safety issues done by seed companies pushing Bt Brinjal. All the people and groups who fasted on Martyr's day Jan 30 as well as all those who attended National COnsultations, wrote to Jairam Ramesh and organized various actions around the country as well as scientists who gave independent views have helped put a moratorium on Bt Brinjal in India. We hope all countries watching India today follow up with similar decisions to protect their food soverignity and all our environment. This small step of Jairam Ramesh in organizing National Consultations and coming up with a reasonable decision as an environmental minister is a giant leap for India.
On
Martyrs’ day today, more than one lakh Indians observed a one-day fast
to emphasise
that the hard-won independence led by Mahatma Gandhi cannot be lost now
to
agri-business MNCs, with their technologies like GM seeds. Thousands who
observed the one-day fast throughout the country sought to remember the
Mahatma’s
dream of Hind Swaraj and to uphold
the food sovereignty of the country from the onslaught of technologies
like GM
seeds. “Remember the Mahatma, Stop Bt Brinjal and Protect India’s Seed
&
Food Sovereignty” was their message
On
Martyrs’ day today, more than one lakh Indians observed a one-day fast
to emphasise
that the hard-won independence led by Mahatma Gandhi cannot be lost now
to
agri-business MNCs, with their technologies like GM seeds. Their message was generiously carried forward by all national media.
