the individuals whose data would be collected , and holding authorities liable for any misuse or leak of this data . The Modi government withdrew the DNA Technology Bill from Lok Sabha which was under formulation by the Ministry of Science and Technology ’ s Department of Biotechnology for nearly a decade . According to officials in the Science and Technology Ministry , the government withdrew the bill because its clauses have broadly been covered in The Criminal Procedure ( Identification ) Act 2022 , which was notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs .
The reasons for the uncertainty around The Drugs , Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill , 2022 have been cited as lack of consensus among the stakeholders and objections to certain clauses by the section of industry itself . The multiple stakeholders had written to health ministry asking for the Bill to be recalled . They say it will have devastating impact on the domestic players and India ’ s preparedness to deal with any pandemic like situation . The Bill wasn ’ t introduced in the parliament and meanwhile , the government sources have clarified that the concerned departments will be studying the bottlenecks and make the
changes as deemed fit .
A prominent industry figure on the basis of anonymity remarked : “ On the one hand we talk of the US $ 300 billion bioeconomy yet we struggle to make relevant regulations for decades on the other . The ambition is good but it has to be equally matched with the intent to change the norms and policies that brought no outstanding results in the past . However , on a positive note , it is good to see the things getting better .”
A lot many of us today must have forgotten the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India ( BRAI ) Bill , 2013 that continues to be remain in the deep freezer since 2013 . Last introduced in the Lok Sabha on April 23 , 2013 , there has been no mention of it in the last ten years . The bill was aimed to promote the safe use of modern biotechnology by enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of regulatory procedures . A streamlined regulatory system is a hallmark of any industry , especially the one like biotechnology that is being projected as one that will lead us into the future .
In this story , we take you through the significance of the bills that have been passed by the parliament and the ones that await their turn to become a reality .
Policy
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