In an era of transparency, the government has been less than candid on issues of public health. It has, despite an SC order, avoided explicitly mentioning the ”implications and biological results” of field trials of genetically modified crops. In fact, it has questioned the competence of the court to decide matters of ’science and technology’. The ministry of environment, in its affidavit filed as a reply to the SC order, has divulged the complete list of 144 applications it has approved for testing since 2006, including ones of crops meant for human consumption like okra, rice, cauliflower, groundnut, tomato and potato.