National Biodiversity Authority disburses Rs 2.82 crore to Indian states

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has disbursed Rs 2.82 crore under the Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) mechanism. This funding stems from the utilization of India’s biological resources.

Advanta Enterprises Ltd provided Rs 2.94 crore to the NBA for the use of genetic resources related to various hybrids of cauliflower, hot pepper, okra, and tomato. Because the biological resources were accessed through a company acquisition, they could not be traced to specific individual farmers or identifiable geographic sources. Consequently, an Expert Committee recommended a modality to distribute the funds across different regions.

Of the total amount, Rs 2.80 crore was released to 27 State Biodiversity Boards and three Union Territory Biodiversity Councils. Major recipients include Gujarat, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, Rs 2.01 lakh is being released to the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research in Karnataka. The funds are intended for activities such as documenting People's Biodiversity Registers, ecosystem restoration, and conservation efforts.