"india stops genetically modified eggplant" news and stories

Caving to pressure from states and environmental groups, India has put the breaks on plans to allow genetically-modified eggplants to be grown commercially, the Wall Street Journal reported.

To create the modified veggie, scientists engineered eggplant (called brinjal in India) to be more resistant to pests than normal varieties by inserting a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis.

A government committee approved the move to commercialize the eggplant -- named Bt Brinjal after its scientific modification -- in October, but the Indian government overturned that decision Tuesday.

Jairam Ramesh, the country's environment minister, said there is no clear consensus among scientists on the vegetable's safety, the Times of India reported.