Gene editing can have a major impact on Indian agriculture through rapid development of crop varieties with diverse desirable traits. Analyse
(200 Words)
Refer - Financial Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 3 years
KEY POINTS
· Gene editing can have a profound impact on global agriculture through rapid development of crop varieties with diverse desirable traits.
· This can lead to enhancement in productivity, nutritional quality of produce and climate adaptation, thereby ensuring sustainability of production systems and nutritional security for the underprivileged.
· CRISPR/Cas9 and other genome-editing techniques are currently being used by scientists all over the world to incorporate desirable traits in different crops, including cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables.
· The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have recognised the enormous potential of gene-editing technology.
· The DBT’s National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali (Punjab), was among the first in India to use CRISPR/Cas9 to carry out a change in the phytoene desaturase (fruit ripening) gene of banana cv Rasthali.
· The DBT has also developed a draft regulatory framework and risk-assessment guidelines for genome-edited organisms.
· Dividing the edited organisms on the types of alterations made, the guidelines based on recommendations of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) have clearly defined the data requirements for different categories of gene insertions, with only one specific category where gene is truly transgenic (DNA from unrelated genera or species) requiring the developer to generate comprehensive data in line with the existing biosafety/regulatory protocols.
Need for public education
· Often, lack of information can mislead people. It is, therefore, very important that the masses are kept fully informed about the essential elements of gene-editing technology, assured of its safety and development process, and its likely benefits to the society.
· Accelerated efforts both by the public and private sector institutions involved in the agricultural research for development (AR4D) programmes shall be critical to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. In this context, increased investments will have to be made for up-scaling and out-scaling disruptive innovations such as CRISPR/Cas9 and other plant-breeding processes.
aswin 3 years
Please review
IAS Parliament 3 years
Good attempt. Keep Writing.
Harsh 3 years
Is my answer fullfilling the demand of question??
IAS Parliament 3 years
Try to write small paragraphs or bullet points, include about challenges, include about case of fruit ripening where the technology has been used. Keep Writing.
Answer is not fulfilling the demand of the question.
Venkateshwaran R 3 years
Kindly provide feedback. Thank you sir
IAS Parliament 3 years
Good attempt.Try to include about case of fruit ripening where the technology has been used. Avoid writing short forms frequently. Keep Writing.
Venkateshwaran R 3 years
