India takes up Neem, Yoga patent issue at WTO, demands global check

The issue is also under discussion at the World Intellectual Property Rights Organization

Furthering its fight against granting of patents to yoga and products made from genetic resources such as neem and tulsi, India on Tuesday circulated a new proposal in this regard at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting.

As per the proposal, an entity or individual applicant of any patent will have to provide details of any existing traditional knowledge that exists on the product that the entity or individual is seeking to patent. 

"We have suggested a work programme on this as 106 countries had agreed to this earlier," a government official told Times of India.

In recent years,