Final decision on Bt brinjal on Feb 10: Jairam Ramesh

Union minister of state for environment and forest Jairam Ramesh today said the final decision on the question of allowing Bt Brinjal in the country would be taken by 10th of next month.

Six public hearings have been held at various cities across the country so far and the 7th is scheduled to be held in Bangalore on February 6. The final decision would be taken on the issue by February 10, he told reporters here.

Asked about the possibility of postponing the decision in the wake of demands for more consultations on the matter, he said, "Wait till February 10."

Asserting that he is not under any pressure from any body, including Prime Minister's office or any company, the minister said that a fair decision would be taken on the issue.

"Those who are in favour of allowing BTU Brinkley are being accused of agents of Multinational companies and those who are opposing it are being labelled as anti-technology. Both are faulty, we have to take the right decision," he said.

The minister was speaking to reporters after holding a public hearing on the Bt brinjal issue issue at Central Research Institute for Dry land Agriculture(CRIED) here today. 

The public hearing witnessed strong protest by those opposing BTU Brinkley before it resulted into a chaos.

During the consultations the minister heard the views of a cross section of people including farmers, scientists, social activists and consumers among others.

Some of the participants favoured more consultations before taking a final call on the matter. 

Speaking on the public hearing, the minister said the name of Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) should be changed to Genetic Engineering Assessment Committee, as the word "Approval" gives an impression that it has already approved before arriving at a conclusion.

A bill in this regard would be introduced in Parliament soon, the minister added.