**3. Risk assessment of GM crops**

Risk assessment identifies potential hazards and/or adverse impacts of GM crops or derived product on non-target organisms and/or environment. This involves a number of coordinated steps like risk identification, risk characterisation and risk categorisation. The first and foremost practice i.e. risk identification involves identification of risk or possible hazard to the non-target species or the environment, if any, associated with release and use of transgenic or GM crops and associated products. This is followed by overall characterisation of risk i.e., whether its effect are direct or indirect, chronic or acute, immediate or delayed in action, etc. Finally, risk categorisation is done which involvves grouping of identified and well characterised risk under various categories *viz*., negative health effects on target population; adverse effect on non-target population, the evolution of resistance or resurgence in the targeted pest/pathogen population, flow of transgene to another species, etc. In the process of risk assessment if a potential risk is identified the appropriate measures are taken for its management .

### **3.1 Steps of risk assessment**
