Govt backs down over Bt brinjal

India’s tryst with its first genetically modified food crop might have to wait a little longer as the government on Tuesday placed an indefinite moratorium on commercial release of Bt brinjal. It recommended further independent studies to ascertain the impact of the GM crop on human health. “There is no clear consensus within the scientific community itself. Eminent scientists have raised serious questions that have not been answered satisfactorily. There is also strong opposition from the state governments and civil s...