The Government of India has reconstituted the 16-member Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), an apex body constituted in the Ministry of Environment and Forests under "Rules for Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells 1989", under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 with Mr Hem Pande, additional secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests as chairman, Prof. Sudhir Kumar Sopory, vice chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University as co-chairman and the joint secretary in charge (biosafety) with ministry of environment and forests as vice chairman of the committee. The committee will fuction for a period of three years from March 11, 2013.

The committee will have three independent experts namely Prof. C R Babu, center for environmental management of degraded ecosystems, School of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Dr B Sasikeran, former director, National Institute of Nutrition and Dr S S Banga, national professor (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University as members of the committee.

In addition to the above, the committee will have members from the different ministries as nominees including Mr K K Sinha, industrial advisor, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and industry, representative from Department of Biotechnology, Dr S K Apte, assistant director, biomedical group and head, molecular biology division, Baba Atomic Research Center as members.

The other members of the committee include Dr Swapan Kumar Datta, deputy director-general (crop science), Indian Council of Agricultural Research , Dr K Satyanarayan, scientist G, Indian Council of Medical Research, Dr Ramesh V Sonti, chief scientist, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research , Ms Swati Srivastava, assistant drugs controller (India), Dr A K Sinha, plant protection advisor, directorate of plant protection quarantine and storage (DPPQS) and chairman, central pollution control board. Dr Ranjini Warrier, director, ministry of environment and forests will act as member secretary.