Bio-safety measures must regarding GMOs use

Chandigarh, Apr 30 (UNI) The concerns about the potential risks associated with the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) to human health, environment and biodiversity must be addressed with taking bio-safety measures, S Ramesh Inder Singh, Chief Secretary Punjab said here today.

Though there were proven advantages and commercial potential of GMOs in both agriculture and heathcare but proper bi-safety measures are must to eliminate any concerns about their and safety, Mr Singh said in his inaugural address at ''Training Workshop on biosafety issues.'' He stressed that the state government was fully committed to implement rules and regulation for the manufacture, use, import, export and storage of hazardous micro-organisms, GMOs, notified by the Centre in this regard.

The Chief Secretary informed that the Punjab Government would establish a Knowledge City in S A S Nagar (Mohali) comprising National Institute of Agri-Food Biotechnology and a Biotech Park for research and development in biotechnology. With setting up this mega project a new area to the research factuality would come up which would lead to the overall development of the Northern States, he said.

On the occasion Mr G Balachandran, Joint Secretary Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in his presidential address deliberated on the pharmaceutical and agri biotech products coming to India which are posing major threat to our bio-diversity and indigenous crops and stressed the need for safety guidelines in biotech.

Presenting an overview on the biosafety Dr. Manorajan Hota, Additional Director, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests said that Centre and states must jointly address the issues and capacity building efforts on biosafety.

The workshop was organized for the members of the state Biotech Co-ordination Committees, District level Biotechnology Committees and Institutional Biosafety Committees by Ministry of Environment and Forests in collaboration with Bio-tech Consortium India and Punjab State Council for Science and Technology.

In the technical session eminent experts including Dr P Ananda Kumar, Principal Scientist, National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology and Chairman, Monitoring- cum -Evaluation Committee gave detailed account of issues pertaining to biosafety such as containment requirements for lab or green house, field, trials and open release of GM crops and healthcare products and the challenges involved in information-sharing on this subject.

M P Singh, Secretary Science, Technology&Environment Punjab flagged the issued required to be addressed to ensure effective enforcement of biosafety regulations and gave an overview of existing regulatory bodies and monitory mechanisms in Punjab.

Dr B S Sidhu, Director, Agriculture, Punjab, Dr B S Dhillon, Director Research, PAU, Sh R Khullar, Director Agriculture, Haryana, Dr B S Chillar, Director Research, Haryana Agriculture University, Dr Bhanu Neopany, Principal Scientific Officer, Deptt of Biotechnology, Himachal Pradesh presented status of activities involving GMOs in their respective states.

UNI