Bt Brinjal Fiasco

After a lot of time and heated debates finally our Honorable Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has said no to Bacillus Thuringiensis Brinjal, commonly known as Bt Brinjal. This brinjal baby is a born celebrity with people fighting, opposing and defending its debut in the Indian farms. There were roadshows, hunger strikes, dharnas and I even saw a community on Facebook for people opposing it. Anyway with all the ho-hum it generated, now it seems to be resting in peace. India has shown that it does not run on one person's opinion. It is a democratic country and thus no one should force its people into something that they do not want . We all are also aware that MNCs are organizations with the sole purpose of making profits and there is nothing wrong with it. It is their job to make money and profits. But its the job of the government and regulatory bodies like Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to not fall prey to their money-making schemes. Such bodies meant for promotion as well as control of Science should know that SCIENCE is a journey of inquisitiveness followed by a great deal of observation and research that leads to attainment of an answer.  Science in itself is a boon to mankind but without research it is the BIGGEST BANE.  In March 2002, despite inadequate tests and results Monsante-Mahyco  had got the permission to introduce Bt Cotton. The end result was that the farmers suffered severe losses due to expensive seeds and inefficient crops while the Company merrily made money. Maybe this time the company has improved its research and has covered the loopholes of Bt Cotton but genetically modified crops have impacts on food chains so strong that its aftereffects will last forever. So it is important that before the introduction of Bt Brinjal, there should be no discrepancy in the tests of its effects and side effects. It is of utmost concern to everyone that a lot of research over this product is done before its arrival on people's plates. So the government is doing the right thing by saying no to it till proper research is done. And yes!For sure, the people who have developed this product should not be involved in this research because-To a mother the child is never ugly. :-)