Prelims 2012 · archive
EasyWhat are the reasons for the people’s resistance to the introduction of Bt brinjal in India?
- 1.Bt brinjal has been created by inserting a gene from a soil fungus into its genome.
- 2.The seeds of Bt brinjal are terminator seeds and therefore, the farmers have to buy the seeds before every season from the seed companies.
- 3.There is an apprehension that the consumption of Bt brinjal may have adverse impact on health.
- 4.There is some concern that the introduction of Bt brinjal may have adverse effects on biodiversity.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 3 and 4 only
Opposition to Bt brinjal rested on two worries: food safety, and gene flow harming brinjal's genetic diversity in India, its centre of origin. Statements 1 and 2 are factually wrong. The Bt gene comes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, not a fungus, and Bt brinjal does not carry a terminator gene.
- ✗ 1. The cry1Ac gene in Bt brinjal was taken from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, not from a fungus. It makes an insecticidal protein that protects the crop against the fruit and shoot borer.
- ✗ 2. A terminator gene blocks a genetically altered seed from germinating after one season. Bt brinjal's added trait is the cry1Ac insecticidal protein, not a terminator gene. So terminator seeds were not a reason for the resistance.
- ✓ 3. A main objection was the fear that eating Bt brinjal could harm human health, for example through toxicity or allergic reactions.
- ✓ 4. Critics warned that genes could flow from Bt brinjal to local varieties and wild relatives. This mattered especially because India is the centre of origin of brinjal. The expert review treated the impact of gene flow on brinjal's genetic diversity as an environmental-safety issue.
Remember · Bt toxin (cry) genes come from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Bt brinjal opposition was about health and biodiversity, not terminator seeds.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Biology, Ch 10 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 · Biology, Chapter 10 “Bt toxin is produced by a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt for short). Bt toxin gene has been cloned from the bacteria and been expressed in plants”
- Report of the Expert Committee (EC-II) on Bt Brinjal Event EE-1, Ministry of Environment and Forests ↗ “Bt brinjal contains three genes namely: 1. The cry1Ac gene derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to produce an insecticidal protein. … Issue 3: Potential impact of gene flow on genetic diversity of brinjal in view of India being the centre of origin”
- PIB archive: Statement in Rajya Sabha on terminator seed ↗ “Terminator gene, according to the University of Agriculture Science, Bangalore, is one that blocks the genetically altered seed from germinating after one season.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·