Question

Which body of the Government of India regulates GM research and the safety of introducing GM organisms for public services?
(a) Genetic Engineering Approval Committee
(b) Research committee on Genetic Manipulation
(c) Bio-safety committee
(d) Indian Council of Agricultural Research

Answer 1

Hint: The body of the Government of India that regulates GM research and the safety of introducing GM organisms for public services is a committee under the Ministry of Environment and Forests and climate change. It was formed in 1989.

Complete answer:
Genetically modified organisms are the living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially modified by introducing a new gene that will incorporate a new trait in the organism that was not previously present in it. It can be any animal, plant, or microbe whose genome has been modified by employing various genetic engineering techniques. Every country has a regulatory body or committee to keep in check the GM research as well as its release into the market for public services. In India, the following functions are performed by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee or GEAC.
So, the correct answer is ‘Genetic Engineering Approval Committee.’

Additional Information:
- Through genetic engineering, it is possible to develop crops that are intrinsically resistant to insects. Bt cotton is one such genetically modified or GM crop.
- The gene of bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis which codes for an insecticidal toxic protein known as Bt toxin has been introduced in cotton plants so that if any insect attempts to eat it, they would be killed. This bacteria gene expressing system has endowed the cotton insect resistant but not pesticide- resistant.
- Bacillus thuringiensis is used as a biocontrol agent to provide protection against insect pests such as Lepidopteran( moth, butterfly), Coleopteran( beetle), and Dipteran (true flies).

Note:
- In 1995, the Environmental Protection Agency approved the release of genetically engineered Bt crops such as cotton, potatoes, corn, and rice.
- One of the advantages of Bt toxin is its narrow range of the spectrum. As many other insecticides kill various beneficial insects which may be pollinators such as bees, Bt only targets an individual insect species.