INDIA’S XI FIVE YEAR PLAN IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBLIZATION: A NOTE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY

Agricultural biotechnology What drives policy? Agriculture in India is no longer a way of life. It is intimately linked to industrial interests, both national and multinational and political interests All stakeholders are not equal. Power is distributed unequally among the stakeholders.

DBT’s Approach to the XI Plan Approach: ‘should be to create such tools and technologies that address the problems of the largest section of the society, provide products and services at affordable prices and make India globally competitive in the emerging bio- economy Developing strong biotechnology industry and technology diffusion capacity is critical to fulfill this vision

Vision The success of this vision over the next decade will be reflected through: 1) greater enrollment of student in life sciences; 2) increase in the number of persons with higher levels of education and skill sin life sciences and bitoechnology;3) greater contribution of research to economic and social development; 4) increased contribution of university system to basic life sciences as well as translational biotechnollgy research

vision 5) strong international partnerships linked to national gals; 6) increased number of new companies and increase in SMEs engaged in R&D ad finally 7) the Indian biotech industry generating revenue to the tune of US $10 billion annually and creating substantially more jobs by 2010.

The main components of innovation system would be availability of required numbers of world class scientists and professionals relevant to R & D ; a well trained, skilled work force for industry ; adequate infrastructure and providing fiscal, regulatory and legal framework that encourages risk taking by investors. Following policy interventions and schemes has been suggested:

Establishment of Technology Management- National and local Centers : A technology management network that is locally linked to stronger central resources is an essential and currently, the missing link. World class regulatory mechanism: A scientific, rigorous, efficient, predictable and consistent regulatory regime for biosafety evaluation and release of protocols is essential. A National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority is proposed to be created to provide effective single window clearance mechanism for all Biotechnology products. Adequate support should be ensured for “public good” research designed to reach the unreached in terms of technology empowerment. Both “public good” and “for profit” research should become mutually re-enforcing. Public institutions and industry have an important role in the process.

Mission mode programmes Food and nutrition security Molecular breeding of agricultural crops.

Prioritization of sect oral R & D Agriculture and Food Biotechnology: disease and pest resistant, drought and salinity tolerant seeds and plants; nutrition enhancement.

Risk and bio-safety and regulation What is risk? Potential harm to life or property Dimensions: a) timeframe b) judgment over acceptable levels of risk

Regulation Regulatory framework: There are indications that the framework also has been imported Does not seem to recognize the organization of agriculture in India Majority of small and marginal farmers with different levels of economic, cultural and information endowments;

Social amplification of risk Risk should not be understood merely in technical terms. Risk get socially amplified Risk associated with gene flow; gene flow from GM crops to non-GM crops; Loss of market for non-GM produce; Litigation with GM seed companies

Implications for integrated farming In India integrated crops in pattern example: all pulses in rain-fed areas grown together; Cattle is part of the farming operations: Drought animals and mulch cattle. In the US agricultural farm is physically and psychologically separate from human habitation and cattle. This is not the case in India

DBT proposals on bio-control agents Bio-pesticide, bio-fertilizers etc., The IX Plan approach paper shows that they are subservient to the dominant model that involves the use of molecular biology tools and techniques

Conclusion Suggests increasing emphasis on the industrialization of agriculture by employing molecular biology tools; The logic of industrialization is to bring about homogeneity Agriculture in India is practiced in different climatic zones, diversity of soils and terrains and different crops.

International cooperation and collaboration The DBT approach paper’s vision is to increase international collaboration Example: Indo–US Knowledge Initiative As part of the initiative there will be collaborative research in Indian water buffaloes (have genes responsible for low fat content in milk) and goats ( have genes that provide resistance against some diseases.

Conclusion Public – Private Partnership (PPP) What are the norms that govern the partnership? Investment; Credit sharing; research, patents, and profits We do not have any mechanism to translate research carried out in public institutions into products

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