Schedule: Mr. Jairam Ramesh, MoS, MoEF, will Chair the consultation meetings. The schedule for the consultations as finalized by the Ministry is as follows: Revised schedule of Consultations

Location Date Status Kolkata 13 January 2010 Completed Bhubaneswar 16 January 2010 Completed Ahmedabad 19 January 2010 Completed Nagpur 27 Janurary 2010 Completed Chandigarh  29 January 2010 Completed Hyderabad 31 January 2010 Completed Bangalore 06 February 2010 Completed Click here for Venues & Contact Details Introductory Booklet on Bt Brinjal -English -Gujarati -Telugu Glimpses of National consultation on Bt Brinjal Complete Report on Bt Brinjal

CEE Coordination Team:

Mr. Atul Pandya/Mr. Ramesh Savalia, CEE, Ahmedabad
Boardline numbers: 079 – 26844002-09
Direct lines: 079 – 26844745, 26844746, 079 – 65257772
Email: brinjal@ceeindia.org

Background and Context
Bt Brinjal is a genetically modified brinjal created by inserting a gene [cry 1Ac] from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into Brinjal. This is said to give the Brinjal plant resistance against insect pests like the Brinjal Fruit and Shoot Borer (Leucinodes orbonalis) and Fruit Borer (Helicoverpa armigera). Bt Brinjal is being developed in India by M/s Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Private Limited (Mahyco).

The Ministry of Environment and Forests, has received strong views both in favour and against commercialization of Bt brinjal in India, from the various stakeholders, including the State Governments, farmers, civil societies, NGOs and scientists. Hence the Ministry has decided to hold national consultations with the various stakeholders before a final view on the commercialization of Bt brinjal is taken.

CEE’s Role: Within this context, Ministry of Environment and Forests, GoI has commissioned Centre for Environment Education (CEE) to undertake public consultations across the country. The Minister of State (MoS), MoEF, Mr. Jairam Ramesh will Chair the consultations at all 7 locations.

The main objectives of the consultation will be:

• Conduct 7 Public Consultations with multiple local stakeholders, belonging to distinct groups, for forward dialogue on Bt Brinjal.
• Compile and collate the discussion held during the public consultations in the final report. The final report would be accompanied by an executive summary report capturing the views of various stakeholders.

Consultation process: National consultation will provide a space for discussions and networking across the board for the multiple stakeholders in Bt Brinjal. These will be held in significant locations across the nation for a more large scale discussion. These will provide space for discussion among the smaller and lesser voiced debates. It will also open a dialogue on the Bt. Brinjal. The consultations allow for a more regional level interaction towards a more holistic understanding. The one day consultations will happen in 7 locations across the country. These public consultations will be attended by assorted stakeholders who will represent distinctive alliances. They will be invited prior to the consultation to participate in the discussion on Bt Brinjal within the framework of their own vocations. The consultations will be conducted in the local languages, additionally Hindi and English dependant on the participants comfort. This is to ensure maximum participation from all stakeholders. Each consultation will invite 250 participants from various communities like farming community, scientists, agriculture experts, farmer organizations, consumer groups, citizens forums, NGOs/CBOs, Government officials, media, seed suppliers, traders, doctors, lawyers, etc.