Punishments under the proposed amendments “will be of a vastly enhanced nature” to help conserve wildlife more effectively, Ramesh told a news conference here, answering several questions on the declining tiger population and smuggling to China of tiger animal parts.

Ramesh said though the “demand in China” for tiger animal parts to make traditional medicines was an “important cause, it is not the root cause.” There is an “extensive crime syndicate here—real estate interests and the mining mafia— who want to take over forest lands and that had to be tackled, he noted. The amendment would also allow conservation biologists and NGOs to work in forest areas.

Taking a volley of questions on the moratorium on the commercialisation of Bt bringal in the country, Ramesh said, “I have not imposed a ban; we are in a moratorium phase and let us use it constructively for evolving a consensus” not just on Bt brinjal, but all genetically modified (GM) crops.

“We will have to do much more homework till we bring GM crops,” Ramesh said, calling for a wider political debate including in the National Development Council (NDC) as States differed on the issue. Respected scientists have also raised questions and a consensus on the issue has to be “scientific, political and societal,” the minister categorically said.

Ramesh also clarified that the moratorium will be in place until a ‘credible regulatory authority’ was in place. A draft of the proposed independent “Biotechnology Authority” was ready to be introduced in the Parliament, but “even in the design of this authority there is much to be desired,” he said, hinting the need for some more changes to the draft. The minister also declined to set a time-frame for instituting this authority.

Ramesh also said he was trying to convince the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi to have a second lion safari in Madhya Pradesh.