Mustard set to become 1st GM food crop to get nod in India

It examined the issue on Monday in a specially convened meeting where it reviewed additional information provided to it by the Delhi University's institution that developed the particular transgenic variety of the oilseed. The regulator also heard the contention of representatives of anti-GM groups which have been opposing its intended move to clear the transgenic variety.

Though the GEAC, comprising government officials and experts from outside, did not take its final call on the issue, during the meeting the members are learnt to have expressed satisfaction over the evidence of scientific field trials submitted to them.

The GEAC's lenient view towards the transgenic mustard was, however, strongly opposed by the anti-GM activists, led by farm activist Kavitha Kuruganti, on Monday. They said that the regulator chose not to give a delegation from the Coalition for a GM-Free India enough time for presentations "that would have revealed the level of fraud that underpinned DMH-11 R&D and testing".