What are the research and developmental achievements in applied biotechnology ? How will these achievements help to uplift the poorer sections of the society ?
Approach · directive: “what / how will”
What it asks · List India's research and development achievements in applied biotechnology (agriculture, health, genomics) and explain how they can help the poorer sections.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- List India's R&D achievements in applied biotechnology: agriculture, health, genomics and the support system
- Explain how these achievements will help uplift the poorer sections, with the cautions that apply
Open with · India's bioeconomy crossed US$80 billion in 2021, up 14.1% on 2020 (India Bioeconomy Report 2022), with Bt cotton and bio-inputs alone worth $10.48 billion; for the poor, biotechnology's worth lies in affordability and reach.
Cover
- Agriculture: Bt cotton (the only GM crop in cultivation as of 2021), marker-assisted Improved Samba Mahsuri rice, tissue culture, biofertilisers and biopesticides.
- Nutrition breeding: 35 special-trait varieties dedicated in September 2021, including zinc-rich biofortified wheat HI 1636.
- Health: Rotavac, recombinant hepatitis B, Covaxin, ZyCoV-D and Corbevax; biosimilar insulin; affordable diagnostic kits.
- Genomics and ecosystem: INSACOG (December 2020), GenomeIndia (over 10,000 genomes); DBT, BIRAC and Biotech-KISAN.
- Uplift: lower health costs, higher small-farm output and nutrition, cheaper inputs, rural bio-enterprise jobs, pandemic surveillance.
- Cautions: GM mustard cleared in 2022 but the Supreme Court split in July 2024; seed prices, corporate dependence, IPR and uneven access.
- Conclusion anchor: the Report's own target of a $300 billion bioeconomy by 2030 is worth having only if built on affordable access.
Close with · Biotechnology reaches the poor only when innovation is matched by affordable access, sound regulation and farmer training; the $300 billion bioeconomy targeted for 2030 is worth having only if it is built that way.
Add value (verified)
- India's Bioeconomy Report 2022 (released July 2022): the bioeconomy exceeded US$80 billion in 2021, growing 14.1% over $70.2 billion in 2020.PIB, Ministry of Science and Technology (July 2022): Bioeconomy will be key to India's future economy over the next 25 years ↗“India’s Bioeconomy has reached over 80 billion US Dollars in 2021 recording 14.1% growth over $70.2 billion in 2020.”
- Bt cotton, biopesticides, biostimulants and biofertilisers contributed about $10.48 billion to the bioeconomy in 2021.PIB, Ministry of Science and Technology (July 2022): Bioeconomy will be key to India's future economy over the next 25 years ↗“BT Cotton, Biopesticides, Biostimulants and Biofertilizers contributed to about $10.48 billion in 2021 for bioeconomy of the country.”
- The Report projects a bioeconomy of US$300 billion by 2030, from $80 billion in 2021.PIB, Ministry of Science and Technology (July 2022): Bioeconomy will be key to India's future economy over the next 25 years ↗“India’s Bioeconomy will touch 300 billion US dollars by 2030 from 80 billion US Dollars in 2021”
- On 28 September 2021 the Prime Minister dedicated 35 ICAR crop varieties with special traits (climate resilience, higher nutrients) to the nation.PIB, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (28 September 2021): PM dedicates to the Nation 35 crop varieties with special traits ↗“The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the Nation 35 crop varieties with special traits through video conference.”
- Among them is wheat HI 1636, a biofortified variety with 44.4 ppm zinc.PIB, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (28 September 2021): PM dedicates to the Nation 35 crop varieties with special traits ↗“Wheat HI 1636 High yielding biofortified variety with high zinc content (44.4 ppm) and excellent chapati quality”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2021, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 343words · Minimalist IAS
India's bioeconomy crossed US$80 billion in 2021, up 14.1% on 2020 (India Bioeconomy Report 2022), with Bt cotton, biopesticides and biofertilisers alone worth $10.48 billion. Applied biotechnology turns molecular biology into seeds, vaccines, drugs and diagnostics; for the poor its worth lies in affordability and reach.
R&D achievements in applied biotechnology
- Agriculture: Bt cotton, the only GM crop in commercial cultivation as of 2021; marker-assisted Improved Samba Mahsuri rice resistant to bacterial blight; tissue-culture plantlets; biofertilisers and biopesticides.
- Nutrition breeding: 35 special-trait varieties dedicated to the nation in September 2021, including the biofortified wheat HI 1636 with 44.4 ppm zinc.
- Health: indigenous vaccines, Rotavac and recombinant hepatitis B, and against Covid-19 Covaxin, ZyCoV-D and Corbevax; low-cost biosimilars such as insulin; affordable diagnostic kits.
- Genomics: INSACOG (December 2020) tracks coronavirus variants, and GenomeIndia has sequenced over 10,000 genomes for surveillance and precision medicine.
- Ecosystem: the Department of Biotechnology and BIRAC fund research and start-ups; Biotech-KISAN links scientists with small and women farmers.
Biotechnology for the poor: cheaper vaccines; biofortified seeds; low-cost diagnostics; bio-inputs that cut costs; rural bio-enterprise jobs
How these achievements uplift the poorer sections
- Lower health costs: cheap vaccines and biosimilars cut out-of-pocket spending; low-cost diagnostics bring early detection to primary care and immunisation drives.
- Farm incomes and nutrition: resilient, higher-yield and biofortified crops raise small-farm output and fight hidden hunger; biofertilisers and biopesticides cut input costs.
- Jobs: bio-industries, rural bio-enterprises and Biotech-KISAN hubs create work outside agriculture.
- Public health security: genomic surveillance guides pandemic response, on which the poor, with the least buffer, depend most.
Cautions
- Regulatory trust: GM mustard was cleared for environmental release in 2022, but the Supreme Court split on it in July 2024; biosafety must be seen to be independent.
- Access: seed prices, corporate dependence and IPR barriers can price the poor out; public-sector research, affordable pricing and extension are needed.
Biotechnology reaches the poor only when innovation is matched by affordable access, sound regulation and farmer training; the $300 billion bioeconomy the Report targets for 2030 is worth having only if it is built that way.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
