[Commons-Law] Financial Express : Monsanto suggests provision for maintaining data confidentiality

[Prashant Iyengar]

http://www.financialexpress.com/printer/news/320284/
Financial Express : Monsanto suggests provision for maintaining data
confidentiality
Mon Jun 09 2008 10:24:02 GMT+0530 (India Standard Time)
Monsanto suggests provision for maintaining data confidentiality
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , June 09, 2008 at 2245 hrs

New Delhi, Jun 8The seed multinational, Monsanto has suggested
inclusion of the provision for maintaining data confidentiality in the
draft National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill-2008.

Monsanto India's manager of regulatory affairs, Devraj Arya said : "It
is a good thing to have a single window clearance of genetically
modified (GM) products, but the new law should ensure data
confidentiality. This is absolutely necessary in the IPR regime and we
cannot afford to stand the risk of making such sensitive data public."

The department of biotechnology (DBT) has drafted a Bill, which would
allow setting up of a autonomous National Biotechnology Regulatory
Authority (NBRA) as a single window clearance for GM products.

Recently, Greenpeace India had asked Mahyco, which has developed Bt
brinjal with technology sourced from Monsanto, to reveal some
biosafety data. The Central Information Commission had ordered Mahyco
to disclose the data. which was refused by Mahyco under the Right to
Information Act and went with an appeal before the Delhi High Court.

The proposed Bill, if passed by the Parliament, would take away the
provisions of regulation of GM products from some existing laws like
the rules for manufacture, use, import, export and storage of
hazardous micro-organisms, genetically engineered organisms or cells,
1989 issued under Environment (Protection) Act 1986, Food Safety and
Standards Act, Drugs and Cosmetic Act, Drugs and Cosmetic (Amendment)
Bill-2007, Seed Bill-2004, draft Plant Quarantine Bill, National
Biological Diversity Act and Plant Varieties Protection and Farmers'
Rights Act.

In a consultation session on the draft Bill convened on Friday, the
member of Parliament, Sharad Joshi criticised setting up of the NBRA.
He said : "The government sets up an authority only to rehabilitate
retired government officials as its chairman and members."

Noted activist, Vandana Shiva of Navdanya criticised the move to place
NBRA under the promoter agency, DBT and said the position of the
existing regulator, GEAC under the environment ministry was better.

Though the draft Bill has proposed an inter-ministerial advisory body,
its decisions are not binding for NBRA. The Union government can
intervene only on policy matters. NBRA would also usurp the powers of
the state governments by setting up its own state bodies.