Disclose Toxicity Data of GM Foods: CIC to Biotech Dept
Source:Zee News
Author:n/a
India's Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the national
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) to provide "crucial data" pertaining to
genetically modified (GM) crops to activist Divya Raghunandan of Greenpeace
India. Raghunandan filed a petition for the information under India's RTI Act.
The CIC decided that "toxicity and allergenicity of any product to be put on
large-scale [field] trial is a matter of overriding public interest." The RTI
Act exempts information from disclosure if it includes commercial confidence,
trade secrets, or intellectual property, according to the article. But a rider
to the act says that such details can be disclosed in the larger public
interest. MAHYCO, which sells Bt cotton seeds in India and is involved in field
testing a number of GM crops, had argued against Raghunandan, saying that
disclosure of information pertaining of its agriculture products would affect
MAHYCO's business interests. MAHYCO has now filed an
appeal with the CIC to stop the disclosure from taking place. The article can
be viewed online at the link below.
http://greenbio.checkbiotech.org/news/disclose_toxicity_data_gm_foods_cic_biotec\
h_dept




"Vaccination wastes resources, gives false hopeand distracts attention from what
needs to be done." - Dr Surinder Bakshi, Consultant Communicable Disease, UK,
the Sunday Times,15 April 2001.




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