Backed up by the claim of implementing most of the initiatives proposed during the 11th Plan period, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is pressing for a three-fold increase in the allocation for the 12th Five Year Plan for which the final documents are being made.
“Considering the maximal utilization of allocations and implementation trends of the department, increasing needs of bio-industrial development and clearly focused programmes for 12th Plan, the working group of the Planning Commission has recommended an investment of Rs.17887.81 crore for 2012-2017 at the rate of three-fold fold increase over 11th plan allocation,” a senior official of the DBT said.
Overall implementation of proposals of 11th Plan aligned to strategies formulated in the National Biotechnology Development Strategy, 2007 has brought about paradigm shift in the ways and means biotechnology programmes and projects formulated and supported. Strong beginning has been made to create an ecosystem of innovation in biotechnology. More than 90 per cent of the initiatives committed have been implemented, the official said.
Higher budgetary allocations (Rs.6389.00 crore) for the 11th Plan as compared to 10th Plan (Rs.1653.00 crore) made it possible for major expansion of programmes. The achievements included seven new autonomous R&D institutions, 10 translational research centres and platforms, grand challenge mission mode programmes, 50 centres of excellence, more than 2400 R&D projects in priority areas involving more than 3000 investigators and 6000 research personnel, 100 public private partnership projects and key global partnerships involving high investments. The major government initiatives helped biotech industry revenues increase from Rs.8541.00 crore in 2006-07 to Rs.17249.34 crore during 2010-11, the sources said.
“The main emphasis of 12th Plan is scaling up of existing successful schemes by at least three folds and starting of several new initiatives in human resource development, expansion and establishment of new generation research resources, facilities and services, major support to universities and institutions for interdisciplinary research in medical sciences and biopharmaceuticals, mega national projects on mission mode in specific areas of chronic diseases, agriculture productivity, climate change, bioengineering and bio-fuels, sustained support to newly established autonomous institutions, and expansion of existing institutions for setting up innovation and translational centres,” the sources added.
“Emphasis will also be on setting up of new institutions in the area of marine biotechnology and bioinformatics, infrastructure development in three bio-cluster and investment in three more bio-clusters, setting up of 50 more centres/units for basic and translational research in priority areas, continuation of public private partnership programmes with new innovation schemes, fully operational of BIRAC and its services, establishment of platforms and incubators for research and manufacture by SMEs and new R&D projects upto 1500 Basic and use Inspired Research & Translational Science and Strategic Research to be globally competitive and finally establishment of Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India along with series of regulatory testing and validation centres and communication system,” the official said.