Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Seeds of hope: On GM crops and scientific consent

Seeds of hope: On GM crops and scientific consent

Scientific consent (अनुमति, स्वीकृति, सहमति) alone should determine availability of products to farmers and consumers

After years of being in limbo (unresolved, in a state of/uncertainty/suspension, postponed), there is a surge of optimism (आशावाद, आत्मविश्वास, सकारात्मक) around DMH-11, or Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (a genetically-engineered variant of mustard. DMH-11 is a hybrid variant of mustard developed by researchers at The Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, at the University of Delhi. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), India’s apex regulator of genetically modified plants and food products, has approved the environmental release of Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11)), a variety developed using genetic engineering techniques by Indian scientists and public funds. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the apex (सर्वोच्च, ऊपर) regulator (an association that supervises a particular business activity) and an arm of the Environment Ministry, last week cleared the variety for environmental release. The seed can be grown in fields for producing more of its kind (of the same type; the things of a specific type) and is a precursor (अग्रगामी, संकेत) to it being approved for commercial release. DMH-11 employs genes from soil bacterium (मिट्टी के जीवाणु) that makes mustard, a self-pollinating (परागन) plant, amenable to (करने के लिए उत्तरदायी, सहयोगी, मिलनसार) being crossed with other varieties and producing hybrid varieties. Hybrid varieties are generally more vigorous (ज़ोरदार, मजबूत, तीव्र) and, in the case of mustard, an oil seed, will produce more oil. Despite having varieties of mustard, India continues to be a net oil importer (शुद्ध तेल आयातक) due to (because of, owing to, on account of, as a result of) poor yields (पैदावार, उत्पादन, उपज). The food crisis due to the Ukraine war has only exacerbated (ख़राब करना, बिगड़ना, तीव्र करना) the problem. Despite decades-long trials (परीक्षण), mustard hybrids have not made it to Indian farmers because of activists (कार्यकर्ता) opposed to genetic modification technology in principle and some farmer groups that believe them to be dangerous.

While several top scientists and agricultural experts have cheered (प्रोत्साहित करना, प्रेरित करना) the GEAC approval, the celebration ought to (must, should) be muted (restrain, subdue, tone down). In 2017 too, GEAC had cleared the plant and then did a backtrack (reconsideration, return, going back to the previous one (e.g. idea/opinion)) by introducing additional tests after protests. In 2009, GEAC had cleared Bt Brinjal (genetically modified (GM) Brinjal), a transgenic (genetically modified) food crop, only to be over-ruled by the UPA government — again after protests. Agriculture, being a State subject, may merit (deserve, justify) political scrutiny (examination, inspection, investigation) before a seed can be commercially released; however, in the case of transgenic technology, these decisions have only served (provide, give out, present) to throttle (suppress, control/restrict, stifle) technological progress. The hold, or the so-called (claimed, professed, purported, ostensible, apparent, reported) ‘moratorium (a temporary suspension/postponement/hold of activity (for example; payment of a debt))’, on Bt Brinjal persists and it was only in 2020 that GEAC approved fresh field trials, which were in effect (in fact, effectively, practically) repetitions (reiteration, repeating, restatement, retelling, iteration) of earlier tests. It is unclear if it will be available in the immediate (not long past, occurring recently) future. The barnase-barstar system (The barnase-barstar transgene based hybrid seed production technology has been commercially deployed in crops like Brassica napus (Mariani et al. 1990; 1992). The system utilizes the expression of barnase gene, encoding cytotoxic RNase protein in the tapetum cells to make one of the combiner’s male sterile), used in DMH-11, is promising (good, encouraging, hopeful, full of promise, optimistic, positive, heartening, reassuring) but already outdated (make obsolete; make out of date) given that cutting-edge (state-of-the-art, innovational, pioneering, revolutionary) technology such as CRISPR is in vogue (prevalent, popular, in favour, in demand, desired, sought-after). DMH-11 alone may not be the panacea (a solution or remedy for all problems or difficulties; or diseases; answer, antidote, elixir, cure-all, nostrum, magic bullet, magic formula) for India’s edible oil (cooking oil; fat of plant, animal or microbial origin, which is liquid at room temperature and is suitable for food use) crisis and rather represents a platform technology that requires seed companies to invest and develop their own hybrids. However, the uncertainty (unpredictability, unreliability, riskiness/precariousness) around regulatory (organizational, managerial, supervisory) policy regarding seed development hinders (obstruct, impede, hamper, block, interrupt, thwart, stop, restrict) this. To signal transformation, the Government must second (formally support, back, approve, endorse, promote) the approval by GEAC and restore the system, whereby (by which) scientific consent — rather than (instead of) political considerations (factor, point, matter, element, aspect) — determines the availability of products to farmers and consumers.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.consent (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अनुमति, स्वीकृति, सहमति
English Meaning - approval, agreement, assent, concurrence, acceptance.

2.optimism (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आशावाद, आत्मविश्वास, सकारात्मक
English Meaning - hopefulness, hope, confidence, positive attitude, buoyancy.

3.apex (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सर्वोच्च, ऊपर
English Meaning - top.

4.precursor (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अग्रगामी, संकेत
English Meaning - sign, signal, indication, portent.

5.bacterium (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जीवाणु
English Meaning - the singular form of the plural word “bacteria”.

6.soil bacterium (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मिट्टी के जीवाणु
English Meaning - the most abundant microbes in the soil. They are single celled organisms, and there can be billions of bacteria in a single gram of soil.

7.pollination (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परागन
English Meaning - the transfer of pollen from a male part of a plant to a female part of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind.

8.amenable to (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - करने के लिए उत्तरदायी, सहयोगी, मिलनसार
English Meaning - cooperative, accommodating, flexible.

9.vigorous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - ज़ोरदार, मजबूत, तीव्र
English Meaning - strong, intense, powerful.

10.net oil importer (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शुद्ध तेल आयातक
English Meaning - a country that buys more oil from other countries in terms of global trade than it sells to them over a given period of time.

11.yield (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पैदावार, उत्पादन, उपज
English Meaning - production, produce, harvest, return, gain.

12.exacerbate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - ख़राब करना, बिगड़ना, तीव्र करना
English Meaning - aggravate, worsen, make worse, intensify, heighten, increase.

13.trial (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परीक्षण
English Meaning - test, pilot study, experiment.

14.activist (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यकर्ता
English Meaning - a person who supports a political change or cause; (or societal change/cause).

15.cheer (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रोत्साहित करना, प्रेरित करना
English Meaning - encourage, motivate, give support to.

16.Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11) (noun)

English Meaning - a genetically-engineered variant of mustard. DMH-11 is a hybrid variant of mustard developed by researchers at The Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, at the University of Delhi. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), India’s apex regulator of genetically modified plants and food products, has approved the environmental release of Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11)

17.environment release (noun)

English Meaning - In order to assess whether a genetically modified organism (GMO) will be safe for environment, most GMOs can reproduce, multiply, and spread in the environment after they are released. The genetic modification could give GM plants, animals, or microorganisms an advantage that would allow them to increase in numbers and spread in the environment.

18.Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) (noun)

English Meaning - the apex regulator of GM crops in India; India’s apex biotech regulatory committee, The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) that functions as a statutory body under the Environment Protection Act 1986 of the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), has been changed to Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee through a Gazette Notification issued on July 22, 2010). GEAC is responsible for granting permits to conduct experimental and large-scale open field trials and also grant approval for commercial release of biotech crops.

19.regulator (noun)

English Meaning - an association that supervises a particular business activity.

20.of its kind (phrase)

English Meaning - of the same type; the things of a specific type.

21.employ (verb)

English Meaning - use, utilize, make use of.

22.microbe (noun)

English Meaning - microorganism/microbe is an organism that is so small & microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). (bacteria, fungi, viruses & etc).

23.self-pollination (noun)

English Meaning - a type of pollination in which the pollen from the anther (male part) of the flower is transferred to the stigma (female part) of the same flower.

24.hybrid (adjective)

English Meaning - composed/combined of different elements.

25.sow/plant the seeds of something (phrase)

English Meaning - to do something that makes sure a particular outcome in the future; bring about, trigger, develop.

26.of hope (phrase)

English Meaning - something that has the promise of hope; something that has the potential of hope (to achieve success).

27.genetically modified (GM) rice (noun)

English Meaning - rice strains (natural or cultured variety) that have been genetically modified.

28.crop (noun)

English Meaning - a plant that is grown in large quantities.

29.in limbo (phrase)

English Meaning - unresolved, in a state of/uncertainty/suspension, postponed.

30.limbo (noun)

English Meaning - uncertain situation or state; a state of uncertainty.

31.surge (noun)

English Meaning - sudden increase or rise of something.

32.due to (phrase)

English Meaning - because of, owing to, on account of, as a result of.

33.make it (phrase)

English Meaning - manage to arrive on time.

34.ought to (modal verb)

English Meaning - must, should.

35.mute (verb)

English Meaning - restrain, subdue, tone down.

36.backtrack (verb)

English Meaning - reconsideration, return, going back to the previous one (e.g. idea/opinion).

37.Bt Brinjal (noun)

English Meaning - genetically modified (GM) Brinjal.

38.transgenic (adjective)

English Meaning - genetically modified.

39.non-transgenic (adjective)

English Meaning - non-genetically modified.

40.overrule (verb)

English Meaning - cancel, abolish, invalidate, reverse, annul, nullify.

41.Concurrent List or List III (noun)

English Meaning - the list which includes the power to be considered by both the union and state government (as given in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India).

42.State List or List II (noun)

English Meaning - it includes subjects that give powers to the state governments. (as given in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, the legislative section is divided into three lists: the Union List, State List and Concurrent List).

43.Union List or List I (noun)

English Meaning - it includes subjects that give powers to the union government. (as given in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, the legislative section is divided into three lists: the Union List, State List and Concurrent List).

44.merit (verb)

English Meaning - deserve, justify.

45.scrutiny (noun)

English Meaning - examination, inspection, investigation.

46.serve (verb)

English Meaning - provide, give out, present.

47.throttle (verb)

English Meaning - suppress, control/restrict, stifle.

48.so-called (adjective)

English Meaning - claimed, professed, purported, ostensible, apparent, reported.

49.moratorium (noun)

English Meaning - a temporary suspension/postponement/hold of activity (for example; payment of a debt).

50.persist (verb)

English Meaning - continue, carry on, go on, keep going.

51.in effect (phrase)

English Meaning - in fact, effectively, practically.

52.repetition (noun)

English Meaning - reiteration, repeating, restatement, retelling, iteration.

53.immediate (adjective)

English Meaning - not long past, occurring recently.

54.barnase-barstar system (noun)

English Meaning - The barnase-barstar transgene based hybrid seed production technology has been commercially deployed in crops like Brassica napus (Mariani et al. 1990; 1992). The system utilizes the expression of barnase gene, encoding cytotoxic RNase protein in the tapetum cells to make one of the combiner’s male sterile.

55.given (preposition)

English Meaning - considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.

56.promising (adjective)

English Meaning - good, encouraging, hopeful, full of promise, optimistic, positive, heartening, reassuring.

57.outdate (verb)

English Meaning - make obsolete; make out of date.

58.outdated (adjective)

English Meaning - old-fashioned, out of date, outmoded, out of fashion, unfashionable, out of style, old.

59.cutting-edge (adjective)

English Meaning - state-of-the-art, innovational, pioneering, revolutionary.

60.CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspersed Short Palindromic Repeats) (noun) -

English Meaning - “CRISPR” (pronounced “crisper”) stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, which are the hallmark of a bacterial defense system that forms the basis for CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology. It is a powerful tool for editing genomes, meaning it allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function.

61.in vogue (phrase)

English Meaning - prevalent, popular, in favour, in demand, desired, sought-after.

62.panacea (noun)

English Meaning - a solution or remedy for all problems or difficulties; or diseases; answer, antidote, elixir, cure-all, nostrum, magic bullet, magic formula.

63.edible oil (noun)

English Meaning - cooking oil; fat of plant, animal or microbial origin, which is liquid at room temperature and is suitable for food use.

64.uncertainty (noun)

English Meaning - unpredictability, unreliability, riskiness/precariousness.

65.regulatory (adjective)

English Meaning - organizational, managerial, supervisory.

66.hinder (verb)

English Meaning - obstruct, impede, hamper, block, interrupt, thwart, stop, restrict.

67.second (verb)

English Meaning - formally support, back, approve, endorse, promote.

68.whereby (adverb)

English Meaning - by which.