New Delhi : Hoping to persuade Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh against allowing the production of genetically-modified (GM) Bt Brinjal in India, Greenpeace has launched an online campaign, ‘World's Biggest Baingan Bhartha' and are collecting people's signatures against the government's plan.
Demanding that the government reverse its decision, farmers, scientists and NGOs have staged angry demonstrations and disrupted public hearings organised by the environment ministry on the issue in the past few days.
"Making the ‘World's Biggest Baingan Bhartha'[dish] is an attempt to provide an opportunity to thousands of other people who want to protect our brinjal from contamination. It's an attempt to continue persuading Jairam Ramesh to say ‘no' to Bt Brinjal," Jai Krishna of Greenpeace India said.
The online campaign was launched on January 28 with an aim to collect 10,000 brinjals (signatures). More than 19,000 people have already signed the petition.
"But in only 48 hours, we smashed our goal, so now we're aiming to collect 20,000 brinjals and will make the ‘Bhartha' on February 18 in Delhi," he said.
