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UPSC Prelims 2012 · Environment · Rules for the Planet
How does National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) help in protecting the Indian agriculture? Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- NBA checks the biopiracy and protects the indigenous and traditional genetic resources.
- NBA directly monitors and supervises the scientific research on genetic modification of crop plants.
- Application for intellectual Property Rights related to genetic/biological resources cannot be made without the approval of NBA.
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
The NBA fights biopiracy and must approve IPR claims on Indian bio-resources.
Statement by statement
1. ✓ CORRECT The NBA fights biopiracy. CSIR challenged the turmeric patent; Indian and international campaigners challenged the neem patent, both before the NBA existed (2003).
2. ✗ WRONG GM crop research is regulated by the DBT’s RCGM and the GEAC, not the NBA.
3. ✓ CORRECT Section 6 historically required NBA approval before patent grant; amended rules distinguish registration, approval and commercial use.
The idea
Biopiracy is when a company takes a country’s biological resource or traditional knowledge, patents it elsewhere and shares nothing. The National Biodiversity Authority is the gate: foreign access to Indian biological resources needs approval; patent rules distinguish NBA registration, approval before grant and approval before commercial use.
Company wants to use an Indian plant or its traditional use → Applies to the National Biodiversity Authority → Authority consults the local committee → Sets terms for sharing the benefit → Patent rules: registration or approval before grant; approval before commercial use
The trap
GM crops sound like a “biodiversity” matter — but that is the GEAC’s job.
Also know
Known biopiracy cases: the US patent on wound-healing use of turmeric (cancelled 1997), the European patent on a neem-based fungicide (revoked), and the basmati rice patent. India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library records old medical texts in patent-office languages so that such patents can be refused. Genetic modification research is a different chain: the Department of Biotechnology and the GEAC.
🔒 NBA (Chennai, 2003): access + benefit sharing, IPR approval. GEAC: GM approvals.