RSS-affiliated farmers' body calls for cancellation of permission to test GM maize at Punjab Agricultural University
Earlier this week, The Hindu had published that the field trials of two kinds of GM maize are expected to begin in the ongoing kharif (summer) season at Punjab Agricultural University, days after the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the country's top regulator for the sector, gave the approval for the trials upon receiving consent from the Punjab government.
The decision was taken last month by the committee, which recommended a proposal by Bayer Crop Science Limited for the conduct of confined field trials on herbicide-tolerant transgenic maize, and insect-resistant transgenic maize at the Ludhiana-based university for this year's kharif season.
Objecting to the plan, a delegation headed by BKS Punjab chief Ravinder Singh Dhillon submitted a memorandum to the Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University.
Possibility of adulteration
The organisation said that the largest producer of GM corn is the U.S., which uses about 80% of this crop for animal feed and uses 20% to make ethanol, plastic, etc. 'But in India, less amount of ethanol is produced from corn and maximum is used as human food. There is a strong possibility of adulteration at all places from farming to purchasing, processing, market, food, etc. We want organic, not GM,' the BKS delegation said in the memorandum.
The farmers' body also warned that the GM corn is being promoted as pest-resistant and weed-resistant.
'BT cotton, a genetically modified pest resistant plant cotton, was brought to India and insects started eating it soon after its introduction. Later, more toxic BT-2 was introduced which witnessed the same fate as white flies and sucking insects started destroying the cotton crop. It is clear from this that the use of pest-resistant GM cotton turned out to be uncertain, unsafe and full of adverse effects. Hence, the way of giving permission to test GM corn is also an attempt to bring the failed experiment back on the farmers,' it added.
Weed-resistant experiments
BKS stated that after the failure of GM cotton in the name of pest-resistance, now weed-resistant experiments are being secretly spread among the farmers. They added that there is a danger due to this of destruction of crops and biodiversity, as well as a vicious cycle of spreading cancer in farmers' families for free through the chemicals used in it.
'On one hand, entire Punjab is suffering from cancer due to the ill effects of chemical farming, and is struggling to get rid of addiction. In such a situation, why is Punjab Agricultural University trying to promote the cause of cancer on the same land? This is beyond comprehension. When the people of Punjab have immersed themselves in the anti-drug movement, then the attempt to make the soil, water and air of Punjab more poisonous and addictive through GM is highly condemnable,' the organisation stated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
TRF claims responsibility for Pahalgam attack: As lines between terror outfits blur in Valley, challenges on ground
The decision by the US to designate The Resistance Front (TRF) as a terrorist organisation is a diplomatic win for India and a message to Pakistan, but its impact on the ground remains to be seen, top security officials in the Valley said Friday. The decision comes three months after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 25 tourists and a local ponywala. The TRF claimed responsibility for the attack on social media channels, but the NIA concluded during its investigation that all three attackers were Pakistani nationals. 'It is a diplomatic win and puts Pakistan in a tight spot, but as far as the militancy is concerned, we will have to wait and watch. We have enough examples from the past — Lashkar, Jaish and even Hizb. All of them have been designated as terrorist organisations, yet they continued their attacks,' said a senior police officer, who has been part of Jammu and Kashmir Police's counter-insurgency grid. 'Unlike Lashkar or Jaish, it (TRF) is not an outfit with a global presence; it has restricted itself to Jammu and Kashmir. After some days, you may see the same people operating under a new name. They will keep changing the nomenclature,' the officer cautioned. 'For outfits like the TRF, terrorism is important, not the brand under which they operate,' he said. 'It is an underground outfit and there is little information about their known assets or structures that can be frozen to deal them a blow.' TRF, police say, is a shadow group of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) that was cast to give 'an indigenous look' to the militancy in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of the special status. While Pakistan was on the FATF grey list, it didn't want Lashkar or Jaish to operate under their own names in the Valley, and floated the TRF and the People Against Fascist Forces (PAFF) to skirt accountability, senior officers say. This is why, experts in the Valley say, the US decision is a setback for Pakistan, given that it has been calling the militancy in Jammu and Kashmir an 'indigenous struggle'. TRF emerged almost immediately after the abrogation of special status on August 5, 2019. In October that year, a grenade exploded in a street market in Srinagar, injuring a few vendors. TRF claimed responsibility, but the security agencies labelled the attack 'an act of miscreants'. The attack came at a time when Srinagar was beginning to open after two months of shutdown to protest the revocation of Article 370, and was seen as an attempt to disrupt normalcy. By mid-2020, the TRF had emerged as a prominent force on Kashmir's terror map. They were behind a string of attacks that caught the attention of the security establishment in the Kashmir Valley. It didn't take agencies long to trace the TRF's roots to the LeT, a Pakistan-based terror outfit already designated as a terrorist organisation by the US. TRF, the security establishment said, was a 'rebranded Lashkar'. Security officials said that while TRF is a front for the LeT, it works jointly with other terror outfits in the Valley. 'The lines on the ground have blurred. They may have different names, but on the ground, they are one,' said a security official. 'So even if TRF is responsible for a terror attack, some other organisation may claim it. In the last three years, several new names have cropped up, like the Kashmir Fight, the Kashmir Tigers, etc. The cadres are the same, only the name is different. They are all shadow groups.' Security officials also believe, and hope, that the US decision to declare TRF a terror organisation is likely a signal for Pakistan to step back. 'After Pakistan virtually bailed out the US in Afghanistan and, more recently, the Pakistan Army chief was invited to the White House, perhaps they were under the impression there would be no repercussions,' said one official. 'It remains to be seen whether the US acts beyond designating TRF as a terrorist organisation. If that happens, we may see Pakistan establishments forcing the Lashkar commanders to pull back the strings of the TRF.' Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Om Birla meets Korean delegation in Delhi, reaffirms India's stance against terror
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday reiterated India's firm stance against terrorism during a meeting with a visiting delegation from South Korea, led by former Prime Minister Kim Boo Kyum, at Parliament House in New the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 26 tourists, Birla said such acts demand a strong global slammed Pakistan for failing to act against terror groups operating on its soil and stressed that India had exercised its sovereign right through Operation Sindoor- targeted precision military strikes aimed solely at dismantling terrorist The Speaker further emphasised that the operation was measured, non-provocative, and aligned with India's policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism. He expressed hope for continued Korean support of India's counter-terror came a day after the US designated Pakistan-based The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) offshoot which was involved in the April 22 attack in the Baisaran Valley, as a terrorist on Friday, claimed that it had already "dismantled" the terrorist network associated with the LeT and said any attempt to connect the Pahalgam attack to the now-defunct group was against the Birla thanked Korea for condemning the Pahalgam attack and for the message of condolence from the Korean National Assembly after the Ahmedabad plane crash. A total of 260 people, including 241 passengers and 12 crew members, died when Air India flight AI 171 crashed near Ahmedabad airport moments after it took off on June Korea on its recent Presidential election, Birla extended warm wishes to newly elected President Lee Jae-myung. He expressed confidence in stronger bilateral ties under Lee's leadership, noting the President's prior role as Chairman of the Korea-India Parliamentary Friendship Speaker of the lower house also highlighted how India's Parliament is integrating advanced technologies like artificial intelligence to improve governance, transparency, and public engagement. Birla offered to share India's expertise in this area with the formation of a Korea-India Parliamentary Friendship Group in Seoul, Birla said India is considering setting up a similar group to boost parliamentary exchanges and the meeting, Birla expressed confidence that India and Korea would continue to collaborate closely as democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific region, working together for peace, security, and economic development.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Punjab parties unite against land pooling scheme, demand FTA exclusion
Bathinda: Punjab's political parties, excluding the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), demanded the immediate withdrawal of the state's controversial land pooling scheme. The call came during an event organised by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), where parties also pressed for the exclusion of agriculture and allied sectors from free trade agreements (FTAs) with the US and other nations. During the meeting held on Friday, leaders from across the political spectrum sought to strengthen the cooperative sector, annul all existing water accords and review Sections 78, 79, and 80 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act. A consensus was reached to urge the Punjab assembly to pass a resolution and sent to the Centre, advocating for parliamentary amendments to these sections. The SKM had convened the all-party meeting, challenging political factions to clarify their positions on contentious issues facing Punjab. Representatives from Congress, BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal, BSP, SAD (five-member recruitment committee), CPI, CPI (M), CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(ML) New Democracy, and RMPI participated, with only AAP absent. The land pooling scheme has faced widespread condemnation. In a voice vote, party leaders slammed the state govt, labelling the scheme a "ploy to seize fertile lands from farmers and hand them over to corporates". by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo They vowed to resist its implementation, citing over 90% opposition from landowning farmers. Some parties even implicated AAP's "Delhi-based top leadership," alleging collusion with corporations targeting valuable land. Beyond land pooling, political leaders supported the SKM's agenda to annul water-sharing agreements, urging the state govt to pass a resolution to the Centre. They also backed the SKM's demand to scrap the Dam Safety Act in its current form, arguing it undermines the federal structure by transferring state rights over dams to the Centre. Unanimous support was also voiced for bolstering the cooperative movement to combat the sale of spurious seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and insecticides. SKM leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal, Harinder Singh Lakhowal, Darshanpal, Buta Singh Burjgill, and Raminder Patiala presided over the proceedings. Prominent attendees included Avtar Singh Karimpuri (BSP), Randeep Singh Nabha (Congress), Kewal Singh Dhillon (former MLA), Subash Sharma (BJP), Sukhdeep Singh and Dinesh Kumar (SAD), Iqbal Singh Jhunda and Gurpartap Singh Wadala (SAD five-member committee), Sukhwinder Sekhon (CPI(M)), Bant Singh Brar (CPI), Sukhdarshan Natt and Gurmeet Singh Bakhtupura (CPI(ML) Liberation), Darshan Singh Khatkar (CPI(ML) New Democracy), and Pargat Singh Jamrai (RMPI), all presenting their party's views. SKM leaders later clarified their objective is to understand political parties' stances. The SKM stated it would continue to champion these issues, with parties expected to offer external support. MSID:: 122763944 413 |
