The President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has asked the central government to evolve a national biotechnology policy with integrated focus on bio-research, development, production and marketing.
Inaugurating the ASSOCHAM Knowledge Millennium III: The Business of Biotechnology organised by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), on March 22, 2003, Dr. Kalam said time has come for us to prove our abilities in the field of bioscience and biotechnology, or harnessing these technologies in multiple fields for wealth generation and for societal transformation.
He said whether a nation has arrived at a stage of knowledge society is judged by the way the country effectively deals with knowledge creation and knowledge deployment in all sectors like IT, industries, agriculture, health care and other vital sectors for national development.
Delivering the Millennium Address, Dr. J.Craig Venter, author of the human genome and President of the Centre for the Advancement of Genomics, USA, said mankind is being equipped with a new arsenal to fight disease and also being enabled to map a scientifically recorded history of evolution by way of the ongoing research in the genetic field.
Dr. Venter said he could forsee a future scenario when CD-Roms containing genetic-mapping would be made available at the time of the birth of newborns. He said that the genetic code could only be used as 'statistical parameters of life sciences', and would not enable a 'crystal ball' gazing into the future health of an individual.
About the applications of genetic research, Dr. Venter said he was currently engaged in research to develop the 'synthetic DNA' to see if this could result in a living cell. This research, he said, entailed work on synthetic chromosomes with aims of determining the minimal genes required for life.
In respect of the 'whistle-blowers' of genetic research, Dr. Venter said the prejudices and myths about the applications of such research would vanish over a period of time. He said the present prejudice was not based on knowledge
Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Minister for HRD, Science & Technology and Ocean Development underlined the need for a multi-pronged approach to create a climate of biotechnology entrepreneurship in the country. The biotechnology business, he said, was mainly small and medium sized and exhorted the private sector to exploit the business opportunities that are emerging in this high technology sector.
Dr. R A Mashelkar, Director General, CSIR said India was uniquely positioned to harness the power of biotechnology for reducing poverty and inequalities. He said India's rich biodiversity, abundant human capital, huge agricultural base, developed pharma industry, low cost manufacturing base were India's main strengths and the driving force of biotechnology. The combination of traditional knowledge with today's scientific advances needs to be harnessed to advantage for which healthy private sector participation with R&D institutions was essential.
Dr. Manju Sharma, Secretary, Dept of Biotechnology wanted to integrate information and biotechnology revolution as a single technological and economic force and establish a large number of biological data banks would facilitate rapid progress of biotechnology. "Our inherent strength of Ayurveda and traditional systems of medicine would be optimally utilized through biotechnological interventions," she opined.
The biotech industry is just coming out of its infancy. Its potential is being tested, realized and used. The public awareness and acceptance will accelerate the process. This sector is expected to expand at least 3-fold by the end of the century and will match or surpass the computer industry in size, importance and growth, she added.