GM Free Bihar Movement convener Pankaj Bhushan and (right) Harit Swaraj Movement national convener Vijay Pratap at a news meet at Bihar Pradeshik Marwari Sammelan office in Patna on Sunday. Bhushan praised chief minister Nitish Kumar for his stand against the use of genetically modified seeds in agriculture. “Bihar was the first state to say ‘no’ to Bt Brinjal on December 9, 2009. It was also the first state to stop field trials of GM Maize. Nitish Kumar’s visionary approach has borne fruit,” he said, referring to a recent report by a parliamentary standing committee that has thrown light on the adverse effects of genetically modified seeds. Pratap said: “It is time that this technology is thrown out of our farming systems. The committee took three years to complete its report. It concluded that GM crops, particularly Bt Cotton, has not helped farmers.” Text by Smita Kumar, picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey