As of now, the introduction of GM Mustard has been put on hold. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) which was supposed to take a decision on whether or not to commercialize genetically modified (GM) mustard has failed to decide, in the face of opposition from many quarters, including former health minister Dr Ambumani Ramadoss.
Earlier, a moratorium was put on GM Brinjal in 2010. Developed by Delhi University’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGCMP), GM mustard or Dhara Mustard Hybrid 11(DH-11) is claimed to give a 20 to 30 per cent higher yield than normal mustard varieties.
Bt cotton was the first GM crop to be introduced in India. But notwithstanding claims of boll-worm resistance and higher yield, Bt cotton has found to fall short of expectations. In fact, the initial high yield could not be sustained in later years, and while it was found to be resistant to boll-worm, it could not provide resistance to other pests. Thus, more pesticides required to be used by farmers, hiking the cost of production, and pushing farmers into debt.
GM crops are even otherwise, subject to many controversies. Dr Vandana Shiva, one of the most outspoken critics of GM crops, has been stridently questioning the claims of high yield and pest resistance that are the major arguments presented in favour of this technology.
The most important question is that of bio-safety where GM crops are concerned. Transgenic crops are required to be planted away from other crops in keeping with biosafety regulations. However, these rules were violated at the time of clinical trials conducted for Bt cotton. Subsequent exploitation of farmers, and the infertility of GM seeds have also been major issues, since GM seeds can never be stored or re-used. Farmers, hence, need to buy these every year. Such as system benefits the seed manufacturers and strengthens their monopoly, to the detriment of the farmer.
Since labeling is not a common feature in India-unlike abroad, GM crops like Bt cotton have ended up being sold in the open market, alongside traditional cotton. At a time when India is grappling with a cancer epidemic due to uncontrolled use of pesticides, especially in states like Punjab, the high risks involved with a hybrid crop that will need high pesticide inputs has made most Indians resistant to GM crops.
Lack of transparency and the reluctance of companies to make the results of field trials available in the public domain is another major factor that has gone against the introduction of GM crops. The opaqueness of regulators of not placing the biosafety data in the public domain, despite a Supreme Court Order to the contrary, was recently cited by DrRamadoss, who has called on the government to reconsider the introduction of GM crops.
Another argument put forth is that many times people don’t know which genes are being inserted in the crop.GMO labeling is an important aspect, which needs to be addressed.GM plants can also lead to ‘super resistant weeds’.Since certain GM plants might be resistant to herbicides this can lead to weeds becoming resistant through natural selection.Agri-scientists fear that GM crops may interact with wild varieties of plants and form ‘hybrid plants’, resulting in the loss of wild varieties and precious biodiversity.
Dr. Deepak Pental, Professor of Genetics and the Ex Vice Chancellor of Delhi University and the developer of GM mustard claims, “Tests were mostly carried out in Western India and the mustard should be grown where it is most adapted to”. “Also, no adverse effect on pollinators such as bees, birds, has been found yet”, he cites. On being asked as to why the biosafety data was not being released, he said, “…the data has to go first to the GEAC who will then present their findings to the statutory body. You can also file a RTI to get information about the biosafety trials.”
Critics of GM, such as Dr Shiva’s organization, Navdanya, remain extremely agitated about the biosafety factor. They point out, “GM mustard is unethical and may not meet Indian medical standards. Normal mustard is used in ayurveda and massage oils.Since there won’t be any labeling differentiating between GM and normal mustard, how will people be able to make a choice between the two?”
On claims of GM crops getting engineered to fight droughts,salinity and natural disasters, and giving high yields with low input, they point to how organic cultivation of wild cultivars can produce better results, and a healthier population.
On the other side, India will need to take a quick, and well-informed decision to ensure food security and ample yields for its ever-growing population in the face of climate change, dropping groundwater levels, and frequent natural disasters.
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- In the Large States category (overall), Chhattisgarh ranks 1st, followed by Odisha and Telangana, whereas, towards the bottom are Maharashtra at 16th, Assam at 17th and Gujarat at 18th. Gujarat is one State that has seen startling performance ranking 5th in the PAI 2021 Index outperforming traditionally good performing States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, but ranks last in terms of Delta
- In the Small States category (overall), Nagaland tops, followed by Mizoram and Tripura. Towards the tail end of the overall Delta ranking is Uttarakhand (9th), Arunachal Pradesh (10th) and Meghalaya (11th). Nagaland despite being a poor performer in the PAI 2021 Index has come out to be the top performer in Delta, similarly, Mizoram’s performance in Delta is also reflected in it’s ranking in the PAI 2021 Index
- In terms of Equity, in the Large States category, Chhattisgarh has the best Delta rate on Equity indicators, this is also reflected in the performance of Chhattisgarh in the Equity Pillar where it ranks 4th. Following Chhattisgarh is Odisha ranking 2nd in Delta-Equity ranking, but ranks 17th in the Equity Pillar of PAI 2021. Telangana ranks 3rd in Delta-Equity ranking even though it is not a top performer in this Pillar in the overall PAI 2021 Index. Jharkhand (16th), Uttar Pradesh (17th) and Assam (18th) rank at the bottom with Uttar Pradesh’s performance in line with the PAI 2021 Index
- Odisha and Nagaland have shown the best year-on-year improvement under 12 Key Development indicators.
- In the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu and, the bottom three performers are Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers were Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Mizoram; and, the bottom three performers are Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya.
- Among the 60:40 division States, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are the top three performers and Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Delhi appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland; and, the bottom three performers are Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh
- Among the 60:40 division States, Goa, West Bengal and Delhi appear as the top three performers and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh and Tripura were the top three performers and Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh were the bottom three performers
- West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu were the top three States amongst the 60:40 division States; while Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan appeared as the bottom three performers
- In the case of 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura were the top three performers and Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand featured as the bottom three
- Among the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa and the bottom three performers are Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Goa
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Mizoram, Sikkim and Nagaland and the bottom three performers are Manipur and Assam
In a diverse country like India, where each State is socially, culturally, economically, and politically distinct, measuring Governance becomes increasingly tricky. The Public Affairs Index (PAI 2021) is a scientifically rigorous, data-based framework that measures the quality of governance at the Sub-national level and ranks the States and Union Territories (UTs) of India on a Composite Index (CI).
States are classified into two categories – Large and Small – using population as the criteria.
In PAI 2021, PAC defined three significant pillars that embody Governance – Growth, Equity, and Sustainability. Each of the three Pillars is circumscribed by five governance praxis Themes.
The themes include – Voice and Accountability, Government Effectiveness, Rule of Law, Regulatory Quality and Control of Corruption.
At the bottom of the pyramid, 43 component indicators are mapped to 14 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are relevant to the States and UTs.
This forms the foundation of the conceptual framework of PAI 2021. The choice of the 43 indicators that go into the calculation of the CI were dictated by the objective of uncovering the complexity and multidimensional character of development governance
The Equity Principle
The Equity Pillar of the PAI 2021 Index analyses the inclusiveness impact at the Sub-national level in the country; inclusiveness in terms of the welfare of a society that depends primarily on establishing that all people feel that they have a say in the governance and are not excluded from the mainstream policy framework.
This requires all individuals and communities, but particularly the most vulnerable, to have an opportunity to improve or maintain their wellbeing. This chapter of PAI 2021 reflects the performance of States and UTs during the pandemic and questions the governance infrastructure in the country, analysing the effectiveness of schemes and the general livelihood of the people in terms of Equity.
Growth and its Discontents
Growth in its multidimensional form encompasses the essence of access to and the availability and optimal utilisation of resources. By resources, PAI 2021 refer to human resources, infrastructure and the budgetary allocations. Capacity building of an economy cannot take place if all the key players of growth do not drive development. The multiplier effects of better health care, improved educational outcomes, increased capital accumulation and lower unemployment levels contribute magnificently in the growth and development of the States.
The Pursuit Of Sustainability
The Sustainability Pillar analyses the access to and usage of resources that has an impact on environment, economy and humankind. The Pillar subsumes two themes and uses seven indicators to measure the effectiveness of government efforts with regards to Sustainability.
The Curious Case Of The Delta
The Delta Analysis presents the results on the State performance on year-on-year improvement. The rankings are measured as the Delta value over the last five to 10 years of data available for 12 Key Development Indicators (KDI). In PAI 2021, 12 indicators across the three Pillars of Equity (five indicators), Growth (five indicators) and Sustainability (two indicators). These KDIs are the outcome indicators crucial to assess Human Development. The Performance in the Delta Analysis is then compared to the Overall PAI 2021 Index.
Key Findings:-
In the Scheme of Things
The Scheme Analysis adds an additional dimension to ranking of the States on their governance. It attempts to complement the Governance Model by trying to understand the developmental activities undertaken by State Governments in the form of schemes. It also tries to understand whether better performance of States in schemes reflect in better governance.
The Centrally Sponsored schemes that were analysed are National Health Mission (NHM), Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services scheme (ICDS), Mahatma Gandh National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SmSA) and MidDay Meal Scheme (MDMS).
National Health Mission (NHM)
INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ICDS)
MID- DAY MEAL SCHEME (MDMS)
SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SMSA)
MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME (MGNREGS)