http://www.genecampaign.org Gene Campaign, a grassroots level organisation with a presence in 17 states of India, was started in 1993 by Dr. Suman Sahai and a group of people concerned about food and livelihood security. Gene Campaign is recognized as a leading research and advocacy organisation working in the field of bioresources, farmers\\' and community rights, intellectual property rights and indigenous knowledge, biopiracy, issues related with GE food and crops. en-us Gene Campaign Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:52:00 -0800 http://www.rssfeedssubmit.com/rss-generator/ http://www.genecampaign.org/Images/logo.gif http://www.genecampaign.org 88 31 http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm Gene News is a bi-monthly news magazine that gives you up-to-the-minute information about the latest national and international developments in the world of new biologies. It tells you about development in genetic engineering, nanotechnology, genetic resources, stem cell and genome research. AND keeps you posted on related policy and implementation issues. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/editorial-vol-4-n-1=id-Jan-Fe-09.htm A multi-agency group involving government departments and trading bodies as well as the industry has been set up under the aegis of the Textiles Ministry to promote organic cotton in the country. If the Textiles Ministry promoting organic cotton and the Department of Biotechnology promoting genetically engineered Bt cotton are at odds with each other and working at cross purposes, it should not surprise anyone, since it is the norm rather than the exception for government departments to work in isolation, without any coordination and in ways that contradict each other. This is not the first case in which the proverbial left hand does not know what the right hand is doing, nor will it be the last. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm Sacred groves are community based repositories of biological diversity. They are landscapes with typical geographic features and are protected on the basis of religious practices and faith. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm Storing seeds in a facility that is sponsored by companies known for patenting seeds and promoting transgenic technology needs strong regulatory control. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm The thirteenth session of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Propery and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore was held in Geneva from October 13-17, 2008. One of its main mandates was to review the gap analysis on the protection of Indigenous (traditional) knowledge and traditional cultural expressions (TCEs). http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm Introduced as a mechanism to encourage the commercialisation of publicly funded research, critics feel that the Bill also has the potential to reduce access to the outputs of publicly funded research, while harming future innovation. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm Poznan in Poland was witness to the 14th meeting of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, commonly known as CoP 14, during December 1-12, 2008. The conference continued the discussion on effective implementation of the convention's provisions for first commitment period which ends in 2012 and a mechanism for 1013 onwards (popularly known as Bali Action Plan) from where the CoP 13 held in Indonesian city of Bali, left off. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm Neem, a common name in Indian households, is popularly known as the miracle tree. Its medicinal properties have been known for thousands of years. Azadirachta Indica, its botanical name comes from the Persian description of the tree as Azad-Darakht-i-hindi meaning 'the free tree of India'. It is known in Sanskrit as Arishta or reliever of sickness. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm GOVERNMENT BATS FOR Bt COTTON: To boost cotton production and enhance quality, the government has taken several steps including the release of Bt cotton. In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the government said that there is a marginal decline in the production of textile items due to various external and internal factors including high input costs.. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm DEBATE CONTINUES ON Bt BRINJAL: Bt Brinjal, the first GM vegetable to be grown in India, is awaiting the nod from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, a government body that assesses the safety of GM products. Also in line are 25 kinds of GM paddy, 23 kinds of tomatoes as well as many types of groundnut, peas, potato, mustard and sugarcane.. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm By detecting early signs of herbicide resistance in weeds, ecotilling is expected to help farmers in tackling one of the most common agronomic threats.. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm The top 10 innovations of 2008 as reported in Science are likely to make life sciences research easier and cheaper. Either totally new or an advancement on existing technology, these innovations are indications that the life sciences field is still growing. Based on their impact on biology, they have been ranked by some noted experts and biologists.... http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY IN CROP IMPROVEMENT: Can plants take in pills as humans do? Though it may sound quite imaginative, there has been possible applications of nanobiotechnology in crop improvement wherein plants have been able to soak in the nanoparticles. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm BACTERIA THAT INCREASE PLANT GROWTH: Through work originally designed to remove contaminants from soil, scientists at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and their Belgium colleagues at Hasselt University have identified plant associated microbes that can improve plant growth on marginal land.. http://www.genecampaign.org/genenews/gnews_index.htm Indian scientists have launched an 'agricultural Wikipedia' to act as an online repository of agricultural information in the country. The government-backed initiative, Agro-pedia, was launched on January 12...