Biotechnology-A boon or a Burden for Indian Research scenario
1 INTRODUCTION:
The
fascinating word ‘Biotechnology’ is framed from two words – Biology and
technology. It is an applied field of biology which explains the technology
involved in modifying the living organisms in order to fulfill the human needs.
Simultaneous research in the areas of molecular biology and genetic engineering
led to the development of this branch as a separate area of biology during the 1970s.
This branch of biology comes up with some high-end promises like altering the
genetic material for the advantage of the common man. These promises and the
hype created by the media created a false concept within human beings that an
in-depth knowledge in this area can make him/her earn a lot of wealth. With
this hope, Biotechnology emerged as a profession across the world.
Biotechnology was introduced in India
during the mid-1980s. The establishment of “Department of Biotechnology” in India during
1986 further boosted commercial interests and research in the biotechnology
field. It was during this time that it
was introduced as a regular course at the Masters level to ape the improvements
in the developed countries. But does biotechnology really have a promising
future in India?
2 LOOPHOLES IN INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM:
2.1 Biotechnology and Indian Education System -
The development in biotechnological research across the world made one to foresee a bright future for the biotech industry. This created an urge to learn the techniques of biotechnology. Many universities cropped up in India, with a promise of teaching these techniques during the normal curriculum at the Masters level. Later, seeing the craze, many academic institutions started the course even at the graduate level (Lakhotia, 2010). To understand this subject, one has to have hands on experience during the laboratory sessions. It is very sad that many institutions in India cannot afford to have such costly equipment. They also lack trained experts who can handle sophisticated biotechnological equipments. The student is the ultimate scapegoat in this whole situation who comes out with a formal degree but lacks practical knowledge. Every year a large section of students come out with degrees in Biotechnology, but with the absence of practical knowledge, can they carry further research in this area?
2.2 Lack of Proper Application Orientation in Students -
Biotechnology is not a totally new subject which rose de novo. In fact, its roots can be traced back to the beginning of human civilization. The art of domestication of animals or farming which involves the selection of the best breed is nothing but the application of the concepts of biotechnology. Very intricate and sophisticated concepts of genetic engineering are taught to the student during the course. As a result he feels he can be placed only in some industry or research organization. He fails to realize that he can utilize the biotechnological development in day-to-day life also. He lacks the capacity to start some small scale industry and create self-employment. Establishment of a sophisticated biotechnological industry cannot be a choice of every student due to the heavy requirement of economic resources for this.
3 IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT POLICY ON BIOTECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH:
3.1 Scenario of biotechnological research in India -
An ongoing research and development is very essential to acquire new knowledge and to synthesize more improvised products. Research should be oriented to meet the upcoming challenges in the society. Generally, the research and development programs are covered by three primary sectors in the society. They are government, industries and the academic universities (Deloitte, 2011). In order to carry out in-house research, an industry needs to be considerably rich so that it can part with a section of its profits and promote research. The numbers of biotechnological industries which can carry out independent research in India are very limited. Hence the maximum responsibility lies with the government. Considerable efforts were made to promote the development of science and technology since the 11th Five-year plan. Under 11th Five-year plan, two organizations – CSIR and DSIR were established. These organizations were responsible to undertake research and development in various areas of science across the country. Upon thorough analysis of the spending pattern of CSIR and DSIR on various sectors of science, under 11th Five-year plan, we can draw the following conclusions -
·
A significant amount of money was invested in
sectors like Aerospace science & engineering (approx 1300 crores, one crore is equal to 10 millions), Engineering materials,
Mining/Minerals & Manufacturing technology (approx 900 crores), Pharmaceuticals,
Healthcare & Drugs (approx 1000 crores), Information technology Resources
and products (approx 800 crores) (Deloitte, 2011:10).
·
In comparison to these sectors, a smaller amount
(approx 800 crores) is allocated to the research in the area of biotechnology (Deloitte,
2011:10).
The inference drawn from this analysis is that there
is a greater scope of research in other above-mentioned areas. It is really an
astonishing fact but it is the truth of biotechnology in India. Many
upcoming biotechnological projects within India are actually funded by
industries or few wealthy individuals (Maria, Ruet, Zerah, n.d). In such a case
the research is bound to be biased. The primary objective of doing good for the
society, is lost and the individuals try to orient the research in such a way
that they can fill their pockets.
3.2 Why does the Government of India limit its expenditure on Biotechnology?
Many people feel that the sky is the limit for Biotechnology and it can create anything. But the truth is that, there had been many mistakes related to recent Biotechnological research. A conspicuous example is the invention of genetically modified foods. The developed countries have realized the pitfalls associated with it and started dumping them in India and other third-world economies. The golden rice or GM rice had come up with a promise of fulfilling the vitamin A requirement of an individual. But when actual statistics were drawn, it was found that only a part of the daily requirement of this vitamin A is actually met with GM rice. In fact, there are some cheaper sources of vitamin A available. This analysis made this crop a failure in India (Bhargava, 2003). Similar is the case with Bt cotton. This product was truly an outcome of the greed of one company, that is, Monsanto. This crop had come up with a promise of producing its own pesticide hence controlling the primary pest – Boll worm. But in Indian conditions, Bt cotton failed to control secondary pests like lygus bugs, cotton aphids etc. Some of these pests became primary pests damaging the growth of the crops (Bhargava, 2003). These mistakes make one to ponder whether biotechnological research should be promoted or not. Why should money be wasted in a research which can prove to be a mistake after a few years? Some of these questions limit the expenditure of government on development of biotechnology.
3.3 Chances of flourishing in other areas -
According to the budget announcement for the year 2009-2010, the largest amount (71.7 billion rupees) was allocated for the development of atomic energy. This was followed by space program and defense research. The amount allocated for research in the areas of health, industrial research and Biotechnology was increased nominally by 4–12% in the same year (Jayaraman, 2009). It is very clear from these statistics that it is better to choose a career in other areas rather than pursuing higher studies in Biotechnology. There will be a greater number of Government-funded projects in the above mentioned areas; hence, chances of getting recruited are more. Greater research in focus areas has a direct correlation with greater job opportunities in that industry. Hence students pursuing higher studies in these areas have better chances of settling in jobs in those industries.
4 Where does biotechnology talent fizzle out?
In India, every year, a large number
of students come out with various degrees in Biotechnology like MSc, B,Sc, B.Sc.-B.Tech. and M.Sc.-M.Tech. They join this
course with a hope of carrying out innovative research in this area, but
unfortunately, end up into some unrelated activities. Some students try to
enter the pharmaceutical industry as the opportunities are high in this area and
many settle down as teachers in various Universities. In India, teachers
have hardly any chance to perform research or publish their own papers within
the universities. Hence, these people are bound to teach only the theoretical
concepts, ultimately producing another chunk of students with undefined
destiny.
5 Conclusion:
The subject, Biotechnology, can prove to be
a boon in Indian society only after a large number of changes are made. These
changes include enhancing the Laboratory facilities so that the students come
up with good practical knowledge. The students should have the knowledge of
those biotechnological applications which will help them in their day-to-day
activities, for example, how to increase the crop yield in a limited area, how
to practice terrace farming in order to get a good output etc. However the
present education system in India
does not support this. It can only produce degree-holders who search for a job
in an industry with no bent for future research. The bent of government spending
patterns towards atomic energy and defense is justified as safeguarding the
well being of the country is its primary responsibility. Its investment in the
areas of pharmaceuticals, health and information technology yields promising
monetary benefits. Keeping this
expenditure pattern of the government in mind, it is better to opt for certain
other courses like information technology, aerospace engineering, Pharmacy,
atomic science etc rather than investing the time and talent in Biotechnology.
6 References:
1. Lakhotia, S.C 2010,
Hype
and the Reality of Biotechnology, viewed 25th January
2012, <http://www.indiabioscience.org/article/lakhotia>.
2. Deloitte, 2011, Research
& Development expenditure, A concept paper, viewed 25th January 2012, <http://www.deloitte.com/assets/DcomIndia/Local%20Assets/Documents/Whitepaper_on_RD_expenditure.pdf>.
3. Maria, A, Ruet, J and Zerah, M.H n.d., Biotechnology in India, viewed 25th
January 2012, <http://www.cerna.ensmp.fr/Documents/AM-JR-MHZ-BiotechReport.pdf>.
4. Bhargava, P.M 2003, Indian
biotechnology needs truth, not hype, viewed 25th January 2012,
< http://biospectrumindia.ciol.com/content/columns/103102001.asp>.
5. , K.S 2009, India hikes science budget despite slowdown,
viewed 25th January 2012, <http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090708/full/news.2009.652.html>.
