‘Baseless and anti-development’: ICAR slams GM-Free India’s claims on rice data

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has rejected the allegations made by the Coalition for a GM-Free India, which called the test data of two genome-edited rice varieties “rigged and hyped”.

Demanding a moratorium on the releases of data until credible biosafety regulations and independent oversight mechanisms are in place, the civil society group accused ICAR of “manufacturing false claims of success”.

The ICAR dubbed the allegations as “baseless and motivated by an anti-development agenda that undermines the achievements of Indian scientists.”

“ICAR has already provided detailed, point-wise responses to every allegation made, along with repeated clarifications to various individuals and organizations, including the Coalition for a GM-Free India,” it said in a statement.