India Sets Ambitious Goals to Lead Industrial Revolution with New Biomanufacturing Policy: DBT
India is positioning itself at the forefront of the next industrial revolution with the launch of its new biomanufacturing policy, aimed at addressing critical challenges in food security, energy, and climate change. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) announced the approval of the BioE3 policy by the Union Cabinet, marking a significant step toward fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in biomanufacturing.
India is positioning itself at the forefront of the next industrial revolution with the launch of its new biomanufacturing policy, aimed at addressing critical challenges in food security, energy, and climate change. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) announced the approval of the BioE3 policy by the Union Cabinet, marking a significant step toward fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in biomanufacturing.
The BioE3 policy, a comprehensive framework for high-performance biomanufacturing, aims to boost the production of a wide range of bio-based products, from medicines to materials. By integrating advanced biotechnological processes, the policy seeks to tackle pressing issues in agriculture, energy, and environmental sustainability.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman laid the foundation for this initiative in the Interim Budget, announcing a new scheme focused on bio-manufacturing and bio-foundries. This scheme promotes environment-friendly alternatives such as biodegradable polymers, bio-plastics, biopharmaceuticals, and bio-agricultural inputs.
Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary of the DBT, highlighted the strategic importance of biomanufacturing in India’s industrial future. “India aims to lead the next industrial revolution,” Gokhale said during a media briefing. “Unlike the semiconductor industry, which arrived in India 15-20 years later, we must seize this opportunity now. Biomanufacturing will help existing industries meet growing demands for food and fuel while also creating new job opportunities.”
Gokhale emphasized that the world has seen several industrial revolutions driven by technological advancements in steam power, electricity, oil, and information and communication technology. The next revolution, he said, will be driven by the industrialization of biological sources and processes. The BioE3 policy aligns with India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
The DBT secretary pointed out that biomanufacturing offers innovative solutions to climate change, resource depletion, waste generation, and pollution. Examples include biotextiles and bioplastics, which are set to play a crucial role in this transformation. Enzymes and microbial strains are central to these processes, with global leaders like Novazyme at the forefront of enzyme production.
India is also advancing research in this field, with institutions like the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Delhi and the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute in Mohali leading the way.
Gokhale noted that India currently imports about three-fourths of its crude oil. The long-term goal is to replace some of this oil with products made from biomass, plastic waste, and carbon dioxide over the next two decades. Achieving this will require significant technological advancements and scaling up production, which the BioE3 policy is designed to facilitate.
Citing an example of the policy’s potential impact, Gokhale mentioned India’s status as the largest producer of milk. However, with the growing population, increasing the number of cattle is not sustainable due to land and water constraints, rising feed costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and antibiotic resistance. Biomanufacturing could provide non-dairy milk alternatives to meet the country’s dairy needs while ensuring resource sustainability.
The BioE3 policy is a crucial step toward India’s leadership in the global biomanufacturing landscape, setting the stage for the country to address critical challenges and drive economic growth through innovative and sustainable solutions.
Sources By Agencies
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