Cutting the Fluff

The Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment (BioE3) Policy aims to boost India's biotech sector for economic, environmental, and employment benefits; however, it lacks timelines, investment details, regulatory clarity, and implementation roadmap

- SHOVANLAL CHAKRABORTY

The list is long: climate change, energy transition, waste management, sustainability, agricultural productivity, the need for new health tools, and much more. India cannot only address these pressing challenges through the application of biotechnology but can do so while generating jobs and contributing to the national economy. This is what the Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment (BioE3) Policy released by the government in the last quarter of 2024 would have us believe.

The only caveat is that the policy is silent on the timeframe, the quantum of investment and human resources required, the possible number or types of jobs that will be generated, and the pathway to achieve the goal.

Before embarking upon building a large-scale biotech industry, it would be prudent to develop a robust, autonomous and statutory regulatory system. The vision of the policy is to "set Bharat at the forefront of the future that is more sustainable and responsive to global challenges by accelerating and harnessing bio manufacturing solutions that encompass diverse bioeconomic activities while safeguarding environmental and climate impacts."

The goal of the policy is "to fast-track innovation-to-technology" by weaving together fragmented activities under the umbrella of bio manufacturing and to incentivize "concrete options to build a sustainable future". The overall objective is to present a framework to ensure the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and accelerate the development and production of bio-based high-value products.

In the past four decades, biotechnology has demonstrated its potential in applications ranging from new vaccines and novel crop varieties to environmental cleanup using microbes.