Biotechnology is one of the emerging technologies which have immense potential for a developing country like India.
Biotechnology is the industrial use’ of microorganisms and living plant and animal cells to produce substances or effects beneficial to people.
Biotechnology encompasses the manufacture of antibiotics, Vitamins, Vaccines, toxic, waste disposals using bacteria, production of fuels etc. Biotechnology techniques involve living organisms as a means of production i.e. cell or tissue culture, cloning and fermentation, embryo transfer etc. Thus the biotechnology techniques have wide applications for the society as a whole.
But the application of biotechnology could be very beneficial for socially and economically disadvantaged sections of the society. Through its application a number of projects are being implemented for economic and technical employment of the weaker sections of the society.
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These efforts have been made in several parts of the country through training, demonstration and appropriate research and development inputs to provide tailor made solutions for location specific problems as scheduled castes/scheduled tribes, women and rural population using modern biology and biotechnology.
Programmes based on biotechnology have also benefited to many SC/ ST people directly and indirectly through projects in the areas of cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, biofuels, biofertilizers, pesticides, organic farming, aquaculture, mushroom cultivation as well as human healthcare interventions etc. Various universities, public handed institutions, voluntary and non-voluntary organizations have been involved in the implementation of these projects. RRL, Jorhat Assam has implemented a project on promotion and production of essential oil, mushroom and vermicompost for revenue generation of the Scheduled Tribe population.
Herbal Folk Research Centre, Tirupati has started a project on healthcare practices and conservation of medical and nutrition’s plant in 100 villages of Andhra Pradesh. Awareness camps and training centers for biofuel plant Jatropha has been conducted at Namakkal Tamil Nadu for women and women self-help groups were also trained in various activities of jatropha Cultivation College of Fisheries, Tuticorin have conducted courses for Scheduled Caste youth in hobster fattering and crab culture technique.
Thus biotechnology has great potential for socio-economic development of the country but there is still problem of technological gap. This gap however, is expected to be narrowed down very soon and India could easily be a leader in the areas of biotechnology applications.