C.R. Bhatia, Former DBT Secretary, a Pioneer in GM Crop Research Passes Away

A hardcore geneticist and the person who approved the first import of genetically modified (GM) cotton seeds into the country for scientific research. Chittranjan Bhatia, a scientist and former secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, is remembered in this way by the scientific community.

While he was DBT secretary between 1993 and 1995, when the world was still trying to understand genetically modified crops, Bhatia was instrumental in bringing the first batch of genetically modified cotton to India.

GMOs are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as organisms — animals, plants, or microorganisms — whose genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally, such as through mating and/or natural recombination.

According to his former colleagues, Bhatia is credited with not only allowing the first genetically modified seeds to be imported into India, but also with supporting and developing policies to assess the seeds' safety profile.

The only commercially available GM crop in India is Bt Cotton, an insect-resistant variety of the crop that has been genetically modified by inserting one or more genes from the bacillus thuringiensis, a common soil bacterium.

P.K. Ghosh, a DBT biochemical engineer who worked with him for many years, informed that Bhatia granted him permission to import Bt Cotton in 1994.

"In 1994, I was the first to obtain permission from him to import Bt cotton seeds into the country." Even the Ministry of Agriculture refused to take up the request of '[American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology company Monsanto] at the time," Ghosh, who retired from the department in 2002, said.

GM crops have been a source of contention in India almost since their inception. Proponents of the technology wax eloquent about its advantages — less pesticide, less water requirement, higher productivity — but detractors dismiss it as a failed experiment with no known benefits, as well as potential toxicity.

Monsanto introduced its first-generation Bt Cotton seeds in India in 2002, after receiving permission from the Government of India.

Renu Swarup, who served as DBT secretary from 2018 to 2021, stated that Bhatia continued to advise the department even after he retired in 1995. "This is a very sad loss; he made enormous contributions to the field of plant genetics." "I worked with him as a young scientist, and he was very helpful," Swarup added.