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Q63 (IAS/2015) Environment & Ecology › Environment Laws, Policies & Institutions (India) › Genetic Engineering Regulation Official Key

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee is constituted under the

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has been established under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)[1] and was constituted on December 5, 1989, under the Environment (Protection)[2] Act 1986. The Environment Protection Act (EPA) of 1986 is the basis of India's biotechnology (biotech) regulatory framework[3].

The GEAC serves as the apex body for regulating genetically modified (GM) crops and organisms in India. While the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) of 2006 has the mandate to regulate GE food products, GE food product approval was deferred to the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)[3], this does not mean GEAC is constituted under FSSA. The committee's legal basis remains the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, making option C the correct answer.

Sources
  1. [1] https://ibkp.dbtindia.gov.in/Content/Commitee
  2. [2] https://ibkp.dbtindia.gov.in/Content/Commitee
  3. [3] https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Biotechnology+and+Other+New+Production+Technologies+Annual_New+Delhi_India_IN2025-0063.pdf
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee is constituted under the [A] Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 [B] Geographical Indicatio…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 7.5/10
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This is a classic 'Parent Act' question. In Environment & Ecology, merely knowing a body exists is insufficient; you must map every major regulator (GEAC, NTCA, NBA, CPCB) to its Statutory Origin and Nodal Ministry. This question rewards structural clarity over random current affairs reading.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Is the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) constituted under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) ... has been established under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states GEAC "has been established under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)", indicating its statutory basis is the environment ministry, not the Food Safety Act.
  • Describes GEAC functions as prescribed in the Rules 1989 (environmental biosafety rules), tying GEAC to the Environment Protection framework rather than the Food Safety and Standards Act.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The Environment Protection Act (EPA) of 1986 is the basis of India’s biotechnology (biotech) regulatory framework... The Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) of 2006 has the mandate to regulate GE food products. However, GE food product approval was deferred to the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)..."
Why this source?
  • States the Environment Protection Act, 1986 is the basis of India’s biotech regulatory framework, linking GEAC to the EPA rather than the Food Safety Act.
  • Notes that while the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 has the mandate for GE food products, approval responsibility was deferred to the GEAC until FSSAI regulations and infrastructure were set up—implying GEAC was not constituted under the FSSA.
Web source
Presence: 3/5
"The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 | Food Safety and Standards Authority of India | Regulates manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of food which includes GM food."
Why this source?
  • Clarifies that the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (implemented by FSSAI) regulates food including GM food, distinguishing the food-regulatory mandate from GEAC's environmental/regulatory role.
  • By showing FSSA is the food regulator, it supports the distinction that GEAC is not constituted under the Food Safety Act but serves different regulatory functions.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > GM Mustard > p. 343
Strength: 5/5
“• In Oct. 2022, The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) constituted under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 has recommended the environmental release of the genetically modified (GM) mustard variety DMH (Dhara Mustard Hybrid)-11, paving the way for the commercialisation of the country's first GM food crop.• But GEAC nod is not the final approval for commercial release but a step forward. It remains to be seen if the Central Government will accept the GEAC's recommendations or not.• While giving the nod, the GEAC has said that simultaneous field studies will have to be conducted with ICAR on the effect of GM mustard on honeybees and other pollinators• DMH-11 has been shown to deliver 30 per cent higher yields than existing varieties.”
Why relevant

Explicitly states GEAC was constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, linking GEAC to an environmental statute rather than the FSS Act.

How to extend

A student could use this to infer GEAC's statutory home is environmental law and compare that to the FSS Act to see if they are different parent laws.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > 11.8 Genetically Modified (GM) Crops > p. 342
Strength: 5/5
“GM crops are plants whose DNA (a molecule that encodes the Genetic Information) has been modified using Genetic Engineering. The following are some benefits of GM crops: • More nutritional value• Resistance to bacteria, virus and other components that can damage the plant• Longer shelf life• Less costly GM foods and higher yields The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body for regulating GM crops, in the Ministry of Environment and Forest under the Environment Protections Act 1986. At present, the government allows commercial production of only one GM crop which is BT cotton and is allowed since 2002.”
Why relevant

Says GEAC is the apex body for regulating GM crops and places it in the Ministry of Environment and Forest under the Environment Protection Act 1986.

How to extend

One could extend this by noting GEAC's ministry placement (Environment) differs from FSSAI's placement (Health) and so likely a different statutory origin.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 13: Food Processing Industry in India > PRESENT STATUS OF FOOD PROCESSING IN INDIA > p. 411
Strength: 4/5
“FSSAI: It stands for the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. This Authority was created in 2008 under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Presently, FSSAI functions under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare as an autonomous body. The main aim of this authority is to regulate and monitor the quality of the food business in India and to ensure the safety of food consumed within the country.”
Why relevant

States FSSAI was created under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, showing which body is actually constituted by the FSS Act.

How to extend

A student can contrast the statutory basis of FSSAI with GEAC's (from snippets above) to test whether GEAC is under the FSS Act.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 12: Supply Chain and Food Processing Industry > 12.7 FSS Act 2006 and FSSAI > p. 373
Strength: 4/5
“Introduction: The subject of "adulteration of foodstuffs and the production, supply and distribution of foodstuffs" comes under concurrent list. The various Central Acts like Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, Fruit Products Order 1955, Meat Food Products Order 1973, Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947, Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order 1988, De-Oiled Meal and Edible Flour (Control) Order, 1967, Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992 etc. were repealed after the enactment of Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act 2006.”
Why relevant

Describes the scope of the FSS Act 2006 and lists central food-related orders repealed by it, indicating the FSS Act consolidates food safety regulation under a distinct statute.

How to extend

Use this to justify checking which regulatory functions (food-safety vs environmental/GM releases) the FSS Act covers and whether GEAC's role fits within that scope.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > 11.9 Organic Farming > p. 345
Strength: 3/5
“The definition also extends to meat, poultry and dairy products produced without using antibiotics or artificial growth hormones. While this is the generic, universally accepted understanding of organic food, the exact definition varies from country to country. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulates organic foods in India. FSSAI in Nov 2017 published regulations on organic food which regulates manufacture, sale, distribution and import of organic food in India. As a consequence, any food to be sold as 'organic' in India will have to be certified under either of the two prevailing systems. The”
Why relevant

Notes FSSAI regulates organic foods and issues regulations under the FSS Act, demonstrating FSSAI's functional domain is food safety/standards.

How to extend

A student could use this functional difference (food-safety regulator) to argue GEAC's GMO/environmental remit is distinct from FSSAI's statutory remit.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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