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Shivraj Singh Chouhan Unveils India's First Genome-Edited Rice Varieties as Union Agriculture Minister.

National | Dated: 07 May 2025

In May 2025, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) announced the development of India's first two genome-edited (GE) rice varieties, namely, 'DRR Dhan 100 Kamla' and 'Pusa DST Rice 1' at Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium, National Agricultural Science Complex (NASC) in New Delhi (Delhi).

🎯 Key Highlights:

  • - These innovative rice varieties were developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), headquartered in New Delhi (Delhi), using genome-editing technology based on CRISPR-Cas. This technique enables precise modifications in the organism's genetic material without incorporating foreign Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA).
  • - He also introduced the 'Minus 5 Plus 10' formula, which aims to reduce the rice cultivation area by 5 million hectares (mh) and simultaneously increase rice production by 10 Million Tons (MT) within the same area. This approach is expected to create space for growing pulses and oilseeds.

💡 Other Important Facts:

  • (i) During the launch event, the Union Minister honored the scientists who played key roles in the development of these genome-edited rice varieties.
  • (ii) ICAR began its genome-editing research in 2018 to enhance two major rice varieties — Samba Mahsuri (BPT5204) and Maruteru 1010 (MTU 1010) — under the National Agricultural Science Fund (NASF).

📚 Test Your Knowledge:

Recently, who unveiled India’s first genome-edited rice varieties as the Union Agriculture Minister?

Correct Answer: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

🚀 Quick Recap:

About Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

  • Director General (DG): Dr. Himanshu Pathak
  • Headquarters: New Delhi