29 states, one UT get ₹1.19 crore in biodiversity benefit-sharing funds
What Happened
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has disbursed ₹1,18,61,655 to 29 State Biodiversity Boards and one Union Territory Biodiversity Council under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism. The money comes from companies using agricultural biological resources including maize, rice, pearl millet and cotton for research and commercial purposes. Maharashtra received the largest allocation at ₹19.46 lakh, followed by Rajasthan at ₹13.98 lakh, Madhya Pradesh at ₹13.32 lakh and Karnataka at ₹10.50 lakh.
Key Takeaways
The funds must be used for activities such as biodiversity conservation and documentation, sustainable use, research, strengthening local biodiversity governance, capacity building and improving community livelihoods. Overall, the NBA says its benefit-sharing disbursements have now exceeded ₹203 crore, including ₹86 crore collected from the agriculture sector.