NBA Disburses Over ₹24 Lakh as Benefit Sharing to Farmers, Institutions, State Biodiversity Boards
UPSC / SSC current affairs note · IR
Why in news
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has recently distributed over ₹24 lakh as Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) payments to farmers, research institutions, and State Biodiversity Boards. This disbursement highlights the operationalization of the ABS mechanism under the Biological Diversity Act, ensuring fair sharing of benefits arising from commercial use of biological resources.
Background
The NBA, established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, regulates access to biological resources and associated traditional knowledge. The ABS mechanism ensures that benefits from commercial utilization of these resources are shared with the providers, including local communities and conservers.
Key facts
NBA released over ₹24 lakh to beneficiaries including buffalo breeders in Haryana, 11 states' beneficiaries, and three national research institutions.
The payment relates to access to Murrah buffalo breeding germplasm, hundreds of crop varieties (rice, mustard, wild mung, chilli, tomato, cucumber, carrot, okra), 627 pearl millet varieties, 55 maize varieties, fish cell lines, and cotton varieties.
Beneficiaries include: a family Murrah buffalo farm in Haryana (₹4.30 lakh), ICAR-NBPGR New Delhi (₹4.61 lakh), ICRISAT Patancheru (₹5.36 lakh), ICAR-NBFGR Lucknow (₹0.14 lakh), and State Biodiversity Boards of Maharashtra (₹3.22 lakh), Gujarat (₹1.92 lakh), Telangana (₹1.52 lakh), Karnataka (₹0.73 lakh), Rajasthan (₹0.63 lakh), Andhra Pradesh (₹0.54 lakh), Madhya Pradesh (₹0.46 lakh), Haryana (₹0.44 lakh), Punjab (₹0.19 lakh), Odisha (₹0.17 lakh), and Tamil Nadu (₹0.13 lakh).
Funds allocated to research institutions will be used for biodiversity conservation and research activities.
ABS amount from cotton genetic resources is distributed across 11 cotton-producing states.
For individual conservators like farmers and breeders, the benefit-sharing amount is mostly distributed through the respective State Biodiversity Boards.
With this disbursement, NBA has distributed a total of approximately ₹153 crore as ABS payments.
This strengthens India's commitment to conservation, maintaining biological collections, supporting scientific research, improving taxonomic studies, conducting biodiversity surveys, and capacity building.
The ABS framework ensures that those conserving biological resources receive a fair share of benefits from their commercial use.
Prelims pointers
- National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) - statutory body under Biological Diversity Act, 2002
- Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism
- State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs)
- ICAR-NBPGR (National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources), New Delhi
- ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), Patancheru
- ICAR-NBFGR (National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources), Lucknow
- Murrah buffalo - high milk-yielding breed
- Biological Diversity Act, 2002
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
Mains angles
- Discuss the significance of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) in conserving biodiversity and ensuring equitable sharing of benefits.
- Critically examine the implementation of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, with reference to benefit sharing to local communities.
- Evaluate the role of statutory bodies like NBA and State Biodiversity Boards in promoting sustainable use of biological resources.