RSS affiliate asks Modi to clarify no GM in 109 seeds released by him
Image credit PIB
RSS affiliate raises questions on 109 seeds released by Modi
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, August 13: The Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) affiliate, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify if the bunch of 109 high-yielding seeds released by him doesn’t include genetically modified (GM) seeds.
“The BKS has urged upon the prime minister and the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan to clarify and assure that the bunch of 109 seeds released yesterday has no GM seeds,” said Raghvendra Singh Patel, the communication chief of the BKS, in a media statement.
Patel said that the prime minister and the agriculture minister “should assure the farmers and environmentalists” about no presence of the GM seeds in the bunch of the 109 high-yielding seeds released on Sunday.
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Mohini Mohan Mishra, the national general secretary of the RSS affiliate, has also expressed concerns. The BKS media statement quoted Mishra expressing concerns that he hoped that the bunch of 109 seeds released by the prime minister has no elements of GM seeds.
Yet, the RSS affiliate welcomed the release of the high-yielding seeds, saying that the outfit hoped that the farmers would benefit in the long run from the release of the new varieties of the seeds.
“The Kisan Sangh holds the view that the GM seeds are harmful for the health of the people, as well as environment. So far, no GM seed has been introduced in the country in scientific ways,” added the media statement of the BKS.
The BKS stated that the organisation has held protests against the GM crops, while advocating the indigenous seeds. It may be noted that the RSS affiliate had strongly protested against the move to give approval to GM Mustard, which was reportedly developed by the Delhi University.
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However, GM Cotton was introduced in India log ago. The NITI Aayog in its three-year action plan had advocated the use of technology in producing high yielding crops.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi released 109 high yielding, climate resilient and biofortified varieties of crops at India Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Prime Minister also interacted with the farmers and scientists on the occasion,” said a media statement released by PIB on Sunday.
Prime Minister stressed on the significance of value addition in agriculture. “The farmers said that these new varieties will be highly beneficial as they will help reduce their expenditure and also have a positive impact on the environment,” PIB stated, while quoting unnamed farmers in the media statement.
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The 109 varieties of 61 crops released by the Prime Minister included 34 field crops and 27 horticultural crops. “Among the field crops, seeds of various cereals including millets, forage crops, oilseeds, pulses, sugarcane, cotton, fibre and other potential crops were released,” said the PIB in the statement.
Among the horticultural crops, different varieties of fruits, vegetable crops, plantation crops, tuber crops, spices, flowers and medicinal crops were released.
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