India, Nov. 11 -- In a novel initiative, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released patent-linked Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) funds amounting to Rs.43.22 lakh. The funds were generated from Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) applications that utilised Indian biological resources for obtaining patents and commercialising the innovation. It marks a significant step in ensuring that benefits derived from innovations based on Indian biological resources are equitably shared, particularly with communities, knowledge holders, and custodians who have conserved these resources for generations.
The ABS amount has been disbursed to sixteen State Biodiversity Boards, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karn...