Gujarat farm leaders join hands and decide to fight the bill meant to legitimize genetically modified seeds

By A Representative
Farmer leaders of Gujarat have come together in solidarity to express in one voice that they oppose the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill. They have asserted that under no circumstances they can afford to lose their freedom and sovereignty and risk the takeover of their food, farms and livelihood by multinational companies like Monsanto. The meeting was attended by farmer leaders such as Badribhai Joshi of Gujarat Khedut Samaj, Prafulbhai Senjaliya of the Organic Farming Cell of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, and Sarvadaman Patel, president, Organic Farming Association of India and Kapil Shah of the Jatan Trust.
The leaders were unanimous in their condemnation of the action of the Government of India of tabling this controversial Bill in the Lok Sabha on April 22, 2013, despite vociferous opposition to it inside and outside Parliament. The controversy didn’t end with the introduction of the Bill. Apparently the Minister for Science and Technology wanted the Bill to be sent to a Joint Committee, considering the impact of the Bill on food, farms, livelihoods, health, trade and environment. But the Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Science and Technology.
"As the nation has grown the farmers have been weakened, slowly losing control over lives livelihoods. At the last count over 2,84,694 farmers have killed themselves in the last decade and a half due to acute distress, many of them cotton farmers. Now this Bill is further facilitating the takeover of farms and food by genetically modified (GM) crops/foods, propagated by large companies", a statement issued at the end of the meeting said.
"The Bill will result in a single window fast track approval mechanism for GM crops, which are a threat to human health, biodiversity and farm livelihoods. The Bill works in the interest of biotech seed companies by avoiding liability mechanisms or public scrutiny", the statement added,
“Is this government concerned about the farmers in the country? If so, why is this Bill being pushed with such haste without due consultations? There is not even an effort to translate the text of the Bill in local languages and making it accessible to farming communities around the country. How can a Bill that will affect farming seriously not be made available in local languages for farmers and groups like us to analyse and study its impacts on their livelihoods?", the statement worndered.
"How are we supposed to give feedback on this in 30 days during peak farming season? This very thoughtlessness and callousness of the government demonstrates that farmers don’t matter to the government,” said Bhogibhai Patel of the Gujarat Khedut Samaj.
“The Bill should be available in the public domain for feedback for at least 90 days, the text of the Bill should be made available in the local language and public consultations should be held in various locations so that farmers can express their views on GM technology and the Bill. We would like to point out that during Bt brinjal consultations in Ahmadabad farmers had attended in large numbers and expressed their views against GM crops. They have a right to do so again,” said Kapil Shah of Jatan Trust.
He added, “Biotechnology, particularly environmental release of GMOs, which comes under purview of BRAI is problematic with bans, moratoriums and other restrictions in many countries around the world. Serious problems have emerged in countries that have adopted it including negative trade impact, serious environmental problems (super-weeds and super-bugs), and massive losses for farmers due to contamination incidents. A compilation of over 400 studies which point to the problems with GMOs in agriculture has been put together by the Coalition for a GM-Free India.”
“We had enough bad experience with Bt cotton, there is no more choice left and all non-Bt cotton has been contaminated. We do not want anymore GM crops, the one GM crop that has been cultivated has already destroyed choice for organic cotton farmers. We can’t allow this technology to take over our livelihoods. With the advent of BRAI we will lose all control over our seeds. Already we are struggling to save seed, to preserve the purity of our seeds. With this there will be no choice left and we can’t allow it to happen,” said Sarvadaman Patel, President of the Organic Farming Association of India.
Badribhai Joshi of Gujarat Khedut Samaj said, “If this Bill is passed the biggest beneficiary is going to be Monsanto. With a single GM crop the company has already reaped over 1500 crores in royalty fees alone. With this Bill the money from rural India, from the pockets of farmers will flow into this company. This Bill is a Monsanto Protection Law. Therefore, we ask the government to drop the Bill.”
“The Bill has such draconian provisions. It puts biosafety data about GM crops outside the purview of right to information (RTI) law. Why should companies hide research data, do they have something to hide? Why is the govt making a regulatory body which facilitates this? Transparency is very important with technologies like GM, which are irreversible and have far reaching impact. Public interest is of utmost importance, particularly with regard to a technology which affects each and every one of us through our food, business confidentiality can’t be a reason for hiding vital data,” the joint statement said.
The gathering of leaders has decided on their course of action. They propose to have Sammelans, in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Sabakantha and Bharuch. A signature campaign will be launched to collect signatures of MPs from the state. A Dharna is being planned for the last week of July in Gujarat which will culminate in “Chalo Delhi”, if government doesn’t respond by then.

Comments

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Kolkata dialogue flags policy and finance deficit in wetland sustainability

By A Representative Wetlands were the focus of India–Germany climate talks in Kolkata, where experts from government, business, and civil society stressed both their ecological importance and the urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks.

Beyond Lata: How Asha Bhosle redefined the female voice with her underrated versatility

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema. Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking. Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of ...

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

Maoist activity in India: Weakening structures, 'shifts' in leadership, strategy and ideology

By Harsh Thakor* Recent statements by government representatives have suggested that Maoism in India has been effectively eliminated, citing the weakening of central leadership and intensified security operations. These claims follow sustained counterinsurgency efforts across key regions, including central and eastern India. However, available information from security agencies and independent observers indicates that while the organizational structure of the CPI (Maoist) has been significantly disrupted, elements of the movement remain active. Reports acknowledge the continued presence of cadres in certain forested regions such as Bastar and parts of Dandakaranya, alongside smaller, decentralized units adapting their operational strategies.

46% own nothing, 1% own 18%: The truth about India’s land inequality

By Vikas Meshram * “Agriculture is the backbone of India” — this is what we have been hearing for generations. But there is a pain hollowing out this backbone from within: the unequal distribution of land. On one hand, news of farmer suicides, indebtedness, and rural migration keeps coming; on the other, agricultural land across the country continues to concentrate in the hands of a few wealthy individuals.

From Manesar to Noida: Workers take to streets for bread, media looks away

By Sunil Kumar* Across several states in India, a workers’ movement is gathering momentum. This is not a movement born of luxury or ambition, nor a demand for power-sharing within the state. At its core lies a stark and basic plea: the right to survive with dignity—adequate food, and wages sufficient to afford it.

US study links ultra-processed diets to preterm birth, sparks concern in India

By Jag Jivan A growing body of scientific evidence linking ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption during pregnancy to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes has sparked fresh concern among public health experts, with Indian nutrition advocates warning of serious implications for the country’s already strained maternal health landscape.

Midnight weeping: The sociology of tragic vision in Badri Narayan’s poetry

By Ravi Ranjan* Badri Narayan, a distinguished Hindi poet and social scientist, occupies a unique position in contemporary Indian intellectual life by bridging the worlds of creative literature and critical social inquiry. His poetic journey began significantly with the 1993 collection 'Saca Sune Hue Kaï Dina Hue' (Truth Heard Many Days Ago). As a social historian and cultural anthropologist, Narayan pioneered a methodological shift away from elite archives toward the oral traditions and folk myths of marginalized communities. He eventually legitimized "folk-ethnography" as a rigorous academic discipline during his tenure as Director of the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute.

Search This Blog