The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has released ₹2.82 crore collected from companies using India’s biological resources. The money goes to state and union territory biodiversity boards, as well as a research institute, to support conservation and community welfare programmes.
How the funds were distributed
Of the ₹2.82 crore released, ₹2.80 crore has gone to 27 State Biodiversity Boards and 3 Union Territory Biodiversity Councils. The remaining ₹2.01 lakh has been given to the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research in Karnataka.
The money came from two sources. The NBA collected ₹2.94 crore from M/s Advanta Enterprises Ltd. for commercial use of vegetable hybrids including cauliflower, hot pepper, okra and tomato. Since the original source of these biological resources could not be traced to specific farmers or communities, an Expert Committee recommended that the benefit-sharing amount be distributed among states where these crops are widely grown.
The ten states receiving the largest shares are:
- Gujarat: ₹44.59 lakh
- West Bengal: ₹41.24 lakh
- Madhya Pradesh: ₹32.73 lakh
- Odisha: ₹32.57 lakh
- Bihar: ₹30.86 lakh
- Chhattisgarh: ₹16.54 lakh
- Uttar Pradesh: ₹12.66 lakh
- Andhra Pradesh: ₹10.51 lakh
- Tamil Nadu: ₹10.49 lakh
- Maharashtra: ₹7.07 lakh
Separately, ₹7.15 lakh from M/s Sumitomo Chemical India Ltd. was received for using microbial strains from the research institute. Of this, ₹2.01 lakh has been given directly to the institute.
Recipient boards and the institute must use these funds within one year for activities including biodiversity documentation, ecosystem restoration, Biodiversity Heritage Site strengthening, and community livelihood programmes. They must submit utilisation certificates and expense statements after spending the money.
What this means for you
These funds ensure that when private companies profit from India’s biological resources, a share goes back to conservation work and community development in the states where those resources originated. The money supports local biodiversity management and can improve livelihoods of farmers and communities involved in conservation efforts.