Orissa won’t allow genetically modified crop: minister

October 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The agriculture ministry would not "blindly oppose" the introduction of Bt brinjal, a genetically modified variety of the vegetable, after its commercialisation was approved by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas said here Thursday.

October 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India's environment and forests ministry should not clear any genetically modified (GM) food crop without strict provisions for labelling, the NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said Thursday, a day after the biotechnology regulator gave its nod to Bt Brinjal. Clearance of Bt Brinjal requires the authorities to practice extreme caution.

October 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A series of consultations will be made before taking any decision on the release of Bt Brinjal in India, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said here Thursday. The minister's statement came a day after the government's biotech regulator approved the commercialisation of the genetically modified crop, leading to protests by environmental and farmers' groups.

October 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A series of consultations will be made before taking any decision on the release of Bt Brinjal in India, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said here Thursday. The minister's statement came a day after the government's biotech regulator approved the commercialisation of the genetically modified crop, leading to protests by environmental and farmers' groups.

October 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India's agriculture ministry will not "blindly oppose" the introduction of Bt brinjal, a genetically modified variety of the vegetable, after its commercialisation was approved by the government's Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas said here Thursday.

October 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), the biotechnology regulator, Wednesday approved the commercialisation of genetically modified Bt brinjal. Bt Brinjal still needs the government's nod before its release in the market.

October 13th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Under pressure from opposition parties, the Orissa government Tuesday ordered a probe into reports of farmers' suicides in the state. Orissa Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout has instructed the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC), northern range, to file in a day or two a report on the alleged farmers' suicides after crop loss.

August 21st, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Maoist rebels have threatened to blow up the residence of Orissa Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadei and kill his son, police said Friday. The letter was received at the office of Orissa Mining Corporation at Jajpur Thursday.

August 18th, 2009 Michigan researchers look at rutabagas for biofuelDETROIT — Researchers at Michigan State University are working to turn the rutabaga into an oil-producing powerhouse that could make the turnip-like vegetable a better source of biofuel than other food crops. The idea is that the rutabaga, which stores oil in its seeds like some other biofuel crops, could be genetically modified to churn out more oil and store it throughout the plant.

August 6th, 2009 The servicers in gov't loan-modification planA look at the loan servicers in Treasury's mortgage-modification program, the taxpayer money they could receive and the percentage of eligible loans they've offered to modify so far. The servicers will keep some of Treasury's money and will pass some of it on to investors and homeowners.

July 2nd, 2009 CUTTACK - Though the union government is still to give a go ahead to the introduction of genetically modified (GM) food crops, the scientists of Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) here are batting for them. "Genetically modified crops can help contribute to food security of our country through increased yields at a lower production cost," said G.J.N.

June 24th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Farmers in Orissa have been told to go for short and medium duration paddy crops in upland non-irrigated areas this kharif season as there was a delay in the arrival of the monsoon, officials said Wednesday. Orissa is one of the major rice-growing states in India, with about four million hectares under paddy cultivation.

April 8th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Nationalist Congress Party alliance with the Left parties and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Orissa is 'only Orissa-specific', NCP chief Sharad Pawar said here Wednesday. 'Our arrangement is only Orissa-specific,' Pawar told a press conference, addressed jointly with Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik.

March 1st, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - A 35-year-old farmer committed suicide in Orissa after a bank allegedly denied him a crop loan, a newspaper report said here Saturday. Niranjan Das, a resident of Baladuan village in the coastal district of Keonjhar, was anxious over the past few days after a local bank refused to give him a crop loan of Rs.25,000, Oriya daily Sambad reported.

February 12th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Orissa has been neglected in interim railway budget presented by Railways Minister Lalu Prasad in Parliament Friday, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said here. 'I am disappointed as Orissa has been neglected,' Patnaik told reporters here, adding that only one new express train was proposed to be introduced in the state in 2009-2010.