The long-awaited bio-diversity Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha yesterday seeking to bar mandatorily all foreigners, foreign companies and foreign research organisations from taking out any biodiversity material from India without the specific permission of the competent authority.
The Bill seeks to establish India's sovereign rights over its biological resources in deference to the spirit of the international convention on biodiversity to which India is a party.
The Bill also provides that no Indian or a body corporate or any other Indian association or organisation can transfer results of any research on any biological resource for monetary consideration to any non-Indian without the competent authority's permission.
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But publication of research papers or dissemination of knowledge in any seminar or workshop would be permitted as also collaborative researches between government organisations and foreign governments can be allowed provided it conforms to the policy guidelines.
A national authority as well as state level authorities would be formed. A national biodiversity fund would also be set up. The authorities will oversee the impementation and grant permissions as also would determine prices for transfer of knowledge on specific Indian bio-resources.
It would also ensure equitable sharing of benefits between conservers of the resource and users.
On enactment India would be one of a few countries having enacted such a law.
Such a law exists in Brazil only. Even the Philippine government which regulates its bio-resources is said to do so by an executive order only.