PIB · Government of India ·

National Biodiversity Authority Distributes Rs 1.19 Crore to State and UT Boards Under Access and Benefit Sharing Mechanism

Distilled Policy Brief

  • The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) distributed Rs 1.19 crore to 29 State Biodiversity Boards and one UT Biodiversity Council under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism.
  • The funds were collected as ABS contributions from companies for commercial use and research of agricultural biological resources like maize, rice, pearl millet, and cotton.
  • Allocations are utilized under Section 32(2) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, for biodiversity documentation, conservation, and strengthening local community livelihoods.

🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points

Funds under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism are distributed to State Biodiversity Boards based on official agricultural data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and utilized as per Section 32(2) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages

Examine how the operationalization of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanisms under the Biological Diversity Act strengthens cooperative federalism, local biodiversity governance, and community-based conservation in India.

🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill

Environment & Ecology

Consider the following statements regarding the distribution of funds by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA): 1. The funds distributed under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism are derived from contributions made by companies for the research and commercial use of agricultural biological resources. 2. The allocations to State Biodiversity Boards and UT Biodiversity Councils are utilized under Section 32(2) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  • [A] 1 only
  • [B] 2 only
  • [C] Both 1 and 2
  • [D] Neither 1 nor 2
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
✓ Correct Option: [C] Both 1 and 2

Both statements are correct based on the policy briefing. The NBA distributed funds under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism collected as contributions from companies for commercial use and research of agricultural biological resources like maize, rice, pearl millet, and cotton. Furthermore, these allocations are utilized under Section 32(2) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, for biodiversity documentation, conservation, and strengthening local community livelihoods.

Tark High-Yield Question Bank ⚡ Practice Full Test in Testing Arena ↗

🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)

UPSC Prelims 2021

Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.

Forensic Anchor: Cabinet Allocation of Business Rules & NCAP Framework
Examiner Trap Takeaway: UPSC swapped Central Pollution Control Board role with State Pollution Control Boards for state-level monitoring.

📚 Static Syllabus & Constitutional Linkages

Biological Diversity Act, 2002: Statutory framework enacted to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), establishing a three-tier institutional structure comprising the NBA, State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs), and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC).
Access and Benefit Sharing (Nagoya Protocol): International agreement aiming at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way.