The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has disbursed ₹43.22 lakh in patent-linked Access and Benefit Sharing funds to 16 states. The funds, from IPR on Indian biological resources, aim to benefit communities and support local conservation.
NBA Announces Disbursement of Patent-Linked Funds
In a pioneering initiative, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has announced the disbursement of patent-linked Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) funds totalling ₹43.22 lakh. These funds have been generated from Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) applications that have employed Indian biological resources to secure patents and facilitate the commercialisation of innovations, as stated in the release.
Ensuring Equitable Benefit Sharing
It marks a significant step in ensuring that benefits derived from innovations based on Indian biological resources are equitably shared, particularly with communities, knowledge holders, and custodians who have conserved these resources for generations.
Distribution Across 16 States
The ABS amount has been disbursed to sixteen State Biodiversity Boards, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, for onward release to the respective benefit claimers, it said.
Major Recipients Identified
Major ABS recipients among State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) include the Andhra Pradesh SBB with ₹20,66,553, the Tamil Nadu SBB with ₹16,79,482, the Odisha SBB with ₹2,09,965, the Uttar Pradesh SBB with ₹91,500, and the Madhya Pradesh SBB with ₹79,547.
Supporting Grassroots Conservation Efforts
The ABS, once transferred to the Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs), will support biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management, and community-based livelihood strengthening. This may include activities such as creating and updating People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs), documenting traditional knowledge, and participating in other local conservation initiatives.
Reinforcing Commitment to Nagoya Protocol
This milestone reinforces India’s commitment to fair and equitable benefit sharing under the Nagoya Protocol, while strengthening grassroots-level biodiversity governance nationwide, the release said. (ANI)
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