10.11 Biosafety Guidelines

. Biosafety Guidelines Due to the growing concerns arising from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) throughout the globe the WHO has built an informal working group on biosafety in . This group prepared the ‘voluntary code for the release of organisms into the environment’. ICGEB (International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology) has played a significant role in issues related to biosafety and the environmentally sustainable use of biotechnology. The main ‘topic of concern’ related to the release of GMO’s are risks for human health, environment, and agriculture which is found on the website of ICGEB. In India, DBT has evolved ‘rDNA safety guidelines’ to exercise powers conferred through the Environmental Protection Act for the manufacture, use, import, export and storage of hazardous micro organisms and genetically engineered organisms, cells etc., These guidelines are implemented and monitored by the Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBSCs), the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) and the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forest.