25-Jul-2022: Clearance of Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) Mandatory for The Environmental Release of Genetically Modified (GM) Crops
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the statutory committee constituted under the “Rules for the Manufacture, Use/Import/Export and Storage of Hazardous Micro Organisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells (Rules, 1989)” framed under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Applications are considered by GEAC as per the provisions of the Rules, 1989 and amendments thereafter. Every set of application has specific form and pre-requisite documents along with recommendations, wherever needed.
Clearance of Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is mandatory for the environmental release of Genetically Modified (GM) crops. As per the ‘’Rules 1989’’, State/UT Biotechnology Coordination Committees and District Level Committees are responsible for monitoring instances of illegal cultivation of GM crops and taking appropriate action under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The Chief Secretary of State/UT is the Chairperson for the State Biotechnology Coordination Committee (SBCC). Any complaints that come to the notice of GEAC secretariat are sent to the Chief Secretary.
For the consideration of any application related to confined field trials of Genetically Modified (GM) crops by GEAC, NOC from the State/UT Government is required.
Bt cotton is the only GM crop which has been approved for commercial cultivation in India. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) conducted study during (2012 -2015) on impact of Bt cotton on 2700 cotton growing farmers belonging to 18 major cotton growing districts of Maharashtra and it was observed that the average seed cotton yield increased after the adoption of Bt Cotton. Also, ICAR has done the feeding studies of Bt cotton on various animals viz., broiler chickens, lambs, cows and goat which was found to be safe.
23-Mar-2018: GEAC disapproved import of GM soy
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Environment Ministry has not allowed import of live genetically modified (GM) soy seed into India.
GEAC has requested the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to take appropriate action and to issue suitable directives to the agencies concerned to not allow such imports.
The 'Coalition for a GM-free India' had earlier urged the government to take strict action on illegal genetically modified (GM) soybean seeds being allegedly imported in India. The coalition had said this was in violation of the Environmental Protection Act and the 2006 DGFT notification.
We have been importing soy seeds from the USA and Ukraine, for instance. The US is known to have mostly GM soyabean (94 per cent) and Ukraine has had its soy exports been reported and cancelled by Russia for having GM contamination.
27-Aug-2017: Conflict of interest in appointment of GEAC members
There is a conflict of interest in the appointment of some members of the country's biotech regulator with two of the top three positions being held by bureaucrats of the environment ministry, a parliamentary panel has said while asserting that an expert should head the body.
The committee expressed its concerns about the “ad hocism” in the constitution of the committee and also about the criteria adopted by the environment ministry for selection of the members of GEAC, their credentials, etc. The panel said that “it would be in fitness of things if GEAC is headed by an expert from the field of biotechnology given the understanding of scientific data and analysis of research and its implication before coming to a conclusion in the matter.”
The department-related parliamentary standing committee on science and technology and environment and forest recently submitted its recommendations in its 301st report on ‘GM crop and its impact on environment’.
Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) was first constituted on May 28, 1990 and it was last re- constituted on March 11, 2013 for a period of three years. Subsequently, with the approval of the competent authority, the tenure of the committee has been extended till re-constitution of the new committee. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body constituted in the Ministry of Environment and Forests under ‘Rules for Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells 1989’, under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The GEAC is also responsible for approval of proposals relating to release of genetically engineered organisms and products into the environment including experimental field trials (Biosafety Research Level trial-I and II known as BRL-I and BRL-II).