India’s traditional medicinal knowledge includes thousands of formulations and approximately 45,000 plant species, but faces biopiracy threats from multinational companies patenting indigenous resources without consent or compensation.
Government Initiatives to Protect Traditional Knowledge
Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL):
Translates ancient medicinal texts from Sanskrit, Urdu, Tamil, Persian and other languages into English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese for global patent examiners.
Contains over 4.48 lakh formulations, including Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and Yoga knowledge systems.
CSIR-TKDL actively files pre-grant oppositions and third-party observations; 283 patent applications were refused, amended, or withdrawn using TKDL evidence.
The Biological Diversity Act, 2002: Mandates that any foreign individual or commercial entity seeking to use India’s biological resources or traditional knowledge must obtain prior approval from NBA.
National Biodiversity Authority: NBA is a statutory body implementing the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 to protect India’s biological resources and traditional knowledge.
People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR): Administered by the NBA, PBR serves as a formal tool for recording and maintaining comprehensive localized data on biological resources and their medicinal uses.
Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) agreements:
Companies using Indian bio-resources must share royalties or benefits with the National Biodiversity Authority.
These funds support local Biodiversity Management Committees and tribal communities.
The Patents Act, 1970:
States that an invention which is traditional knowledge, or an aggregation or duplication of known properties of traditionally known components, is not patentable.
Mandates disclosure of the source and geographical origin of biological materials used in patents, with details shared with the NBA.
Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001: Protects the rights of local communities and farmers over their traditional crop and medicinal plant varieties.
By safeguarding indigenous medical heritage through the NBA and TKDL, India directly advances SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) while protecting local community rights.