Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)

• It is a statutory body constituted under the ‘Rules for the Manufacture, Use /Import /Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineering Organisms or Cells, 1989’ notifi ed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• It was formed as the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee and was renamed to its current name in 2010.
• It functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
• The body regulates the use, manufacture, storage, import, and export of hazardous microorganisms or genetically-engineered organisms and cells in India.
• The Committee is chaired by the Special Secretary/Additional Secretary of the MoEF&CC. A representative of the Department of Biotechnology is a co-chair.
• The functions of the GEAC are:
• It is responsible for the appraisal of activities that involve the large scale use of hazardous microbes and recombinants in research and industrial production from the environment.
• It assesses proposals regarding the release of genetically engineered products and organisms into the environment, and this includes experimental fi eld trials as well
• It is a statutory body constituted under the ‘Rules for the Manufacture, Use /Import /Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineering Organisms or Cells, 1989’ notifi ed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• It was formed as the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee and was renamed to its current name in 2010.
• It functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
• The body regulates the use, manufacture, storage, import, and export of hazardous microorganisms or genetically-engineered organisms and cells in India.
• The Committee is chaired by the Special Secretary/Additional Secretary of the MoEF&CC. A representative of the Department of Biotechnology is a co-chair.
• The functions of the GEAC are:
  • It is responsible for the appraisal of activities that involve the large scale use of hazardous microbes and recombinants in research and industrial production from the environment.
  • It assesses proposals regarding the release of genetically engineered products and organisms into the environment, and this includes experimental fi eld trials as well
  • It looks into proposals regarding the use of living modifi ed organism that comes in the risk category III and above in the import/manufacture of recombinant pharma products, or where the end-product of the recombinant pharma product is a modifi ed living organism.
• The Committee has the power to take punitive action against people/bodies under the Environment (Protection) Act.
• The approval of the GEAC is mandatory before genetically modifi ed organisms and products derived from them can be used commercially.