India’s Policy Shift Toward Genome-Edited Crops | 29 Nov 2025

Source: IE

Why in News?

India’s progress in genetically modified (GM) crops has stalled since 2006, with no new commercial approvals beyond Bt cotton. However, genome-edited (GE) crops are witnessing accelerated development and regulatory support.  

• Recently, two GE rice (Samba Mahsuri and MTU-1010) were cleared for release, and a GE mustard is under advanced trials, signalling a major policy shift in India’s agricultural biotechnology landscape.

What Recent Policy and Scientific Developments Are Advancing Genome-Edited (GE) Crop Research in India?

• Streamlined Regulations: GE plants are exempt from the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change’s (MoEFCC) strict biosafety rules because they contain no foreign (exogenous) DNA, unlike GM crops, which require approval from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee for field trials, seed production, or commercial release. 
  • GE crops need clearance only from an Institutional Biosafety Committee, which must simply confirm that the edited plant has no foreign DNA.  
• Funding Boost to GE Crop Research: The government has increased funding support (Rs 500 crore allocated in the 2023-24 Budget) for GE crop research and breeding and treating GE crops on par with conventional varieties. 
• Unveiling of Indigenous Gene-Editing Tool: ICAR scientists unveiled a native, indigenous genome-editing platform to break dependency on foreign, patent-heavy tools like CRISPR-Cas9.  
  • The system uses a protein called TnpB, which is significantly smaller (about one-third the size) than the Cas9 protein commonly used in CRISPR. 
  • This tool is patent-free for Indian researchers, making gene editing cheaper and more accessible. Its smaller size also makes it easier to deliver into plant cells using viral vectors, bypassing complex tissue culture processes. 
• Human Resource Capacity Building: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Indo-US Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF) have launched the Genome Engineering/Editing Technologies Initiative (GETin).  
  • This program provides Overseas Fellowships to Indian scientists to work in premier US labs, fostering direct knowledge transfer.

What is Genome Editing? 

• About: Genome editing refers to a set of technologies that allow scientists to precisely modify an organism’s DNA by adding, removing, or altering genetic material at specific genomic locations.  
  • This is achieved using advanced tools such as CRISPR-Cas9, TALENs, and Zinc Finger Nucleases. 
• Working: While several genome editing tools exist, the most famous and widely used is CRISPR-Cas9. A simple analogy for how CRISPR-Cas9 works is as follows: 
  • Search Function (CRISPR): This is a piece of RNA (a molecular cousin of DNA) that is programmed to find and bind to one specific, unique sequence in the genome.  
  • Scissors (Cas9): This is an enzyme that acts as molecular scissors. Once the CRISPR has located the correct spot, Cas9 cuts both strands of the DNA double helix at that precise point. 
  • Edit Function (Cell's Repair Machinery): After the DNA is cut, the cell's natural repair mechanisms kick in. Scientists can harness this process to: 
    • Disable a Gene: The cell repairs the cut imperfectly, effectively "breaking" the target gene and turning it off. 
    • Correct a Gene: Scientists can provide a template of healthy DNA. The cell uses this template to repair the cut, seamlessly incorporating the correct sequence and fixing a mutation. 
    • Insert a New Gene: A new segment of DNA can be inserted into the cut site, adding a new function.

• Key Applications: The potential uses for this technology are vast and span multiple fields: 
  • Medicines: 
    • Gene Therapy: Treating or curing genetic disorders like sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, and Huntington's disease by correcting the underlying genetic mutation. 
    • Cancer Treatment: Engineering a patient's own immune cells (CAR-T cells) to better recognize and attack cancer cells. 
    • Viral Diseases: Developing strategies to cut and disable viral DNA, such as HIV, within a patient's cells. 
  • Agriculture: 
    • Crop Improvement: Creating crops that are more nutritious, drought-resistant, or resistant to pests and diseases, reducing the need for pesticides. 
    • Livestock Breeding: Developing animals with enhanced resistance to diseases. 
  • Basic Research: Scientists use genome editing to "knock out" genes in lab animals (like mice) to understand what those genes do, helping us understand the fundamentals of biology and disease.

How is Gene Editing Different from Genetic Modification? 

Why Gene Editing is Gaining Significance of Over Genetic Modification in Crops? 

• Wider Applicability: GE enables precise tuning of existing genes—knocking out, modifying, or increasing their activity—to create complex traits like enhanced nutrition, longer shelf-life, and climate resilience, while GM has mainly been effective for adding simple traits such as herbicide tolerance or insect resistance (e.g., Bt toxins). 
• Ability to Improve Elite Local Varieties: GE enables improvement of existing local varieties, like editing Samba Mahsuri rice to boost yield without changing its culinary traits, whereas GM produces new transgenic lines that may lack local adaptation. 
• Broader Social Acceptance: GE mimics natural mutation without adding foreign genes, facing less public opposition and rarely labeled as genetically modified organism (GMO), while GM faces global controversy and is often stigmatized as “Frankenfood”. 
• Speed and Efficiency: GE allows faster development of new crop varieties by directly editing genes for specific traits (e.g., drought tolerance, higher yield) in a single generation, whereas GM is slower, relying on trial-and-error to insert and test foreign genes. 
• Faster Commercialization: GE crops are transgene-free and face lighter regulation, enabling a faster transition from lab to field, while GM crops undergo stringent, lengthy, and costly biosafety assessments due to foreign genes, delaying commercialization. 

What are the Key Issues and a Sustainable Path Forward for Gene Editing? 

Conclusion 

India is strategically pivoting from stalled GM crops to fast-tracked Genome Editing, leveraging its precision, faster regulatory path, and ability to enhance local varieties. This policy shift aims to boost climate-resilient agriculture and food security, positioning GE as the cornerstone of India's future agri-biotech revolution.