Biotech policy in Orissa need to be reviewed

Biotech policy proves a big failure in Orissa
The Pioneer, Aug 3, 2009
SP Nanda | Bhubaneswar

The biotechnology programme in the State was started with much fanfare five years back with candlelight dinners in five-star hotels where top bureaucrats and academicians brought out novel ideas and designed the biotechnology shape for the twenty-first century Orissa. But over these years, biotechnology as an industry has not taken roots in the soil of the State, barring a few units, which already existed and still continue against the callous attitude of the bureaucracy. Biotechnology education in the State rapidly declined till it became a mockery. Why has it happened?

Biotechnology, the cream of biological sciences, evolved from hardcore biochemistry and genetics in the late seventies of the last century. It rapidly expanded and its beneficial and praiseworthy application in human health, plant, animal and microbial genetic improvement was soon visible. Genetically modified plants and animals became an advantage for mankind apart from innumerable applications in human health, winning over diseases, disabilities and survival.

Orissa has a bounty of natural plant and animal resources. People of the State suffer from various maladies. There is no doubt that biotechnology could have played a commendable role in resources utilisation, improvement of present plant and animal stock and cure of some diseases, which are rampant and dangerous in the State. But the policies made by the Government towards generation of technical manpower, establishment of industries and research for future gains are incongruent with the resources available within the State. This has led to an utter failure of the policies.

The Government permitted mushrooming of biotechnology academic institutions. There were at one time as many as 14 institutions that offered postgraduate degree in biotechnology with as high intake capacity of 60 students per year. The universities gave affiliations to these institutions without looking into the infrastructure and expertise they had. Universities got money by giving affiliations and institutions got money by sponsoring the courses.

These institutions hired retired botany and zoology professionals or fresh postgraduates in botany and zoology having no expertise in biochemistry, genetics or biotechnology at large. They read books and taught in classes. The institutions did not also possess the minimum instrumentation and laboratory facilities, field or minimal house facilities, technical manpower to demonstrate various intricate biotechnological experiments. The result was that the students did not get knowledge and expertise to face competitions in the job market. Barring a few resourceful ones, a vast majority of rollouts remained unemployed.

No wonder, biotechnology soon became a laughing stock in the State. Students did not turn out to take admission for postgraduate studies. One after another, the biotechnology colleges closed down. Who is responsible for sealing the fate of thousands of postgraduates?

With money flowing from the Union Department of Biotechnology, the State ventured to establish a Biotechnology Park for setting up of biotechnology industries, which would not only provide employment but also take the State into the arena of the biotechnology revolution. A small section of biotechnology was opened in the State's Department of Science and Technology being headed by a director, who was an Indian Forest Service officer. This amounted to a mockery of biotechnology, a forest officer heading a project where a much wider vision is required to organise things in biotechnology.

The obvious result is now seen, with the boundary of the 267-acre Biotechnology Park on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar speaking volumes about the progress made! With the faulty policy of the department, no biotechnology park could be established and no industrialist came forward to set up his industry in hired net and dry laboratories. The Government should have given some thought that an industrialist is a man having much regard for independence and he has his own vision and ways to materialise it. No industrialist can venture to stride in uncertain environment. The Government now needs much refinement of its thought as much money has gone down the drain in the biotechnology sector with no tangible result.