📅 : 21st Feb2021    ⌚ : 20 Minutes   

GS-2: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life. Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology. Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, Nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

 Note

• Following is the summary of ‘The Big Picture’ discussion, which was aired on RSTV.
• Host: Vishal Dahiya
• Panellists: Dr. Manish Diwan, BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology; Dr. Sanjay Singh, Member, CII National Committee.
• Please note that some inputs have been given by our team in order to make the topic more relevant to UPSC.

Context

• India recently successfully conducted the Global Bio India 2021, with the theme ‘Biosciences to Bioeconomy’. The focus of the event was on the contribution of the biotechnology sector to the growth of the country.
• India’s biotechnology sector is currently valued at $70 billion and is expected to double itself by 2025. It is expected to contribute to PM’s vision for a $5 trillion economy by 2024.

Prelims Focus

What is Biotechnology?

• Biotechnology is the field of science which utilises living organisms to formulate useful products for improving the quality of life. For e.g. GM crops.

Demographic Dividend: It is the favourable phase of the growth of a country, during which it has a high number of working population (in the age of 15-64 years ), while having a lesser number of dependents (children and elderly). If the population is not skilled and cannot be absorbed in gainful employment, demographic dividend may turn into a demographic curse, where the disgruntled population turns to crime in the absence of gainful employment.

Genetically Modified Crops (GM crops):  GM crops are crops that have been modified by the transfer of DNA with specific traits from one species to another. Transfer of DNA leads to the development of new properties including better yield, disease-resistance, drought resistance etc. The only approved GM crop in India is BT cotton, which has the gene of Bacillus Thuringienesis, leading to insecticidal properties in the crop. The GM crops are approved in India by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, which is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

Mains Focus

Current state of the Biotechnology sector in India:

• Institutional Structure: Realising the importance of biotechnology, the Indian government created the Department of Biotechnology in the early 90s, to make India a powerhouse with respect to the Biotechnology industry. The educational institutions were also strengthened to cater to the increasing use of biotechnology in many important walks of life.
• Sunshine sector: Biotechnology sector is considered a sunshine sector of Indian economy. It contributes almost 3% to the Indian GDP and has cascading effects on the different sectors of the economy. It can contribute to the growth of the Indian economy and help meet the government’s stated goal of $5 trillion economy by 2024.
• Focus on Infrastructure creation and capacity building: There is an increasing effort in the direction of improvement of the required infrastructure for providing a foundation stone for the experts to work and contribute to myriad sectors of the economy while keeping biotechnology as the base. Similarly, the new generation is taking up education and research under biotechnology as the sector is growing and is poised to create better opportunities for the current students.

• COVID Effect: The ability of India to both act as the producer as well as manufacturer of the COVID vaccine has put India into a unique position, where it has established itself as a top player, including being a member of V-5. Also, India has put forward its humanitarian face in the wake of crisis by deftly playing its cards as a part of medical diplomacy. All of this can be attribute to India’s advances in biotechnology.

• Interdisciplinary studies: The Biotechnology sector is a fit example of multiple disciplines being involved to improve the quality of life. For e.g. earlier there was a need for constant monitoring of the saline solution drip to a patient. However, now this problem has been resolved to a great extent by combining electrical, electronic and mechanical sciences, whereby the drip can be monitored remotely by the sensors and appropriate message conveyed to the nursing staff for further action.

Importance of Biotechnology Sector:

• Foundation stone for different sectors: Biotechnology sector contributes to the development of different sectors like:
  • Agri-tech: Advances in biotechnology directly contribute to the development of agriculture, as biotechnology provides more advanced inputs to agriculture in the form of drought-resistant crops, higher yield seeds, etc.
  • Clean-tech: Scientists have discovered and enhanced various forms of micro-organisms, which contribute to waste management. For e.g. Oil zapper technology uses bacteria to clean up oil spills.
  • Health-tech: Biotech contributes to healthcare in the form of genetics and bio-informatics which can be utilised for fighting genetic and other diseases with the help of modified micro-organisms.
  • Industrial biotech: The commercial uses of the biotechnology include usage of different micro-organisms to produce commercially viable products. For e.g. probiotic curd is considered advantageous for the body as it contains different type of beneficial organisms.
• Knowledge Economy: The biotechnology industry is a part of the knowledge economy which is relatively easy to scale up, especially for India, since we have a huge human resource base in the form of demographic dividend (see inset).
• Sustainability: Biotechnology sector has the potential to help in utilising the resources in a more efficient manner by modifying the present inputs. For e.g. improved seeds have the capacity to provide better yields in the same unit area, leading to better utilisation of already scarce geographical area. At the same time, it is helping in creating tools for a better environment in the form of low wastage products, waste to sanitation as well as cleaning technology like oil zapper.
• Self-Reliance: India’s prowess in the biotechnology sector is also helpful in decreasing independence on technologically advanced products created in more advanced western countries. For e.g., despite India’s dependence on foreign companies for the initiation of Genetically Modified crops (GM crops – see inset), now the capacity has been created in the Indian research ecosystem to develop new varieties of crops, which are better suited to Indian conditions.
• Investment Destination: Biotechnology is a sunshine sector and holds a lot of potential going forward. This makes it a fertile sector for foreign investment. Therefore, it is important to facilitate the industry, if India needs another avenue for foreign investment.
• Employment Creation: Biotechnology sector is a base sector for the improvement of agriculture. This is critical especially in the context of India as nearly two-thirds of the Indian population is still dependent on the agriculture sector. For e.g., GM crops hold the potential to increase the yields of the crops. However, there is a need for a complete study into the sustainability of GM crops and their long term effects on the environment, before giving final approval to them.

Way Forward:

• Creation of a pipeline of startups: Innovation ecosystem requires encouragement to the new ideas and support in the initial days in the form of funding and flexibility in regulation. Funding needs to be created in multiple formats according to the preference viz. equity, grants and private investment. In fact, India has a large ecosystem of around 4300 startups in the biotechnology sector itself.
• Infrastructure creation: Similar to funding, there is a need for procurement of equipment for the industry so that the feasibility and viability of the industry improves and the scientists are focussed on value creation, rather than worrying about the economics of the project.
• Focus on holistic view: It is to be understood that creating an ecosystem requires effort on a broad level, in which all dependent industries could thrive in the presence of a large base of products, suited to individual needs. For e.g. industry requires handholding to deliver a product in a time-bound and efficient manner.
• International Cooperation: India, being the leader in the field, needs to understand the importance of knowledge transfer and sharing with the other countries, while at the same time learning from the advanced countries. Development of the third world is the stated goal of India’s foreign policy and the government remains committed to the stated objective.
• Faster Decision-making: Creation of a new product requires a huge effort and financial commitment. The financial returns create motivation for further development. However, any unnecessary delay in the introduction of the product in the market might lead to duplication of the product in another country and might lead to lost revenue opportunity. Therefore, it is important to create avenues for efficient regulation.
• Focus on exponential growth: There is a need to boost the growth of the biotechnology sector to exponential growth, rather than a linear one, which is currently the norm. This will have a multiplier effect on the overall growth of the economy as different sectors including agriculture depend upon the biotechnology sector for advancement.
• Ace the competition: India has a comparative advantage because of its skilled human resources as well as the existence of required infrastructure. This needs to be leveraged upon to create globally competitive products which can lead to a greater return on investment for the companies in the sector. This will further enhance the interest of entrepreneurs to invest in the field and expand the capacity.
• Involvement of Private Sector: COVID has seen the ability of the industry to quickly develop and deploy resources in the race for the development of the vaccine. For e.g. within a few days of COVID’s spread, India became the leader in exporting N95 masks, PPE kits etc. This capacity needs to be leveraged in the country so that the industry is nurtured and required portfolio is built by the industry, banking upon the private investment. This is imperative as the level of innovation in the private industry is difficult to be aced by the public sector.

Conclusion:

• Biotechnology sector is one sector which touches the lives of common people deeply as it leads to the development in important sectors like healthcare and agriculture. There is a need to support the development of the sector by taking steps to provide funding and encourage private investment.
• Also, the private sector needs to be encouraged to come up with avenues for innovation and to develop an impressive portfolio of products, banking upon a forward looking vision. This is critical as the government cannot be expected to be the source of all funding, especially during the COVID-induced stress in the economy.

Practice Question:

• Trace the development of biotechnology sector in India as a source of innovation in the economy. Also, discuss the impact of biotechnology in affecting the lives of common people, especially in the context of GM crops.

UPSC Previous Year Question:

• How is science interwoven deeply with our lives? What are the striking changes in agriculture triggered off by the science-based technologies?                                                                                                                                                                       (GS-3, 2020)
• COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented devastation worldwide. However, technological advancements are being availed readily to win over the crisis. Give an account of how technology was sought to aid management to the pandemic.        (GS-3, 2020)