Future of Biotechnology in India

Future of Biotechnology in India depends on various key factors and Government is quite positive in ensuring a bright future of Biotechnology in India. It will be a dream to any scientific community to manage supportive growth and development through biotechnological approach for the betterment have human livelihood. All the primary sectors including health, nutrition, food, agriculture and environment responsible for sustainable development of human life can be benefited from the proper utilization of biotechnology.

If we can manage to narrow the gap between these dreams and reality we will definitely have a thriving socio-economic growth in India with the help of Biotechnology. For this we need several time bound, result initiated and well planned projects to run simultaneously. We must utilize the potential of biotechnology through projects covering genomics (human, animal, plant and microorganisms); vaccine development; the invention of new drugs; diagnosis of diseases; drug delivery system; therapeutics; low cost waste management; low cost protein production; biofuel production; enhancement of nutritious food crops; farming technologies; pollution control; biodiversity conservation and restoration of damaged ecosystem. For proper result all these sectors should get long term support to carry out basic research involving molecular biological techniques, genomics, proteomics, genetics and neurosciences. Monitoring well defined missions and project for a longer time will definitely prove successful in the long run and we will be able to address the emerging problems of our nation in all the above mentioned sectors.

Apart from research, the next step i.e. the development of the findings for their proper implementation and commercialization of the successful projects is also of extreme importance. Biotechnology can become the economic force that can drive this nation forward. Proper integration of knowledge and information by implementing data bank can bring in the rapid progress in biotechnology sectors that we are desperately looking for. Introduction of transgenic in agricultural sectors will facilitate the production of enzymes, valuable biochemicals, vaccines along with disease and stress resistant crops which can survive water logging, high salinity, drought etc. Increase in nitrogen fixation through better nitrogen fixing microbes, genetic manipulation of plant genes to help quicker reforestation will help both forest sectors and availability of timber. Development of low cost yet highly efficient diagnostic tools for diseases, including HIV, cancer, tuberculosis, malaria and several genetic disorders can help fight these diseases in a more efficient manner. Development of DNA vaccines will be the next step. Our age-old knowledge of Ayurveda and other traditional medicines can be modernized for commercialization through biotechnological route.

The overall future of biotechnology in India has endless potential in every sector. All we need is the proper channelling of our knowledge, information, time and money to become a leader in the biotechnology community in the near future.