Draft Bill to set up Biotechnology Authority ready, LS told

NEW DELHI: A draft bill to set up the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India to modulate the research, import, manufacture and use of organisms and biotechnology products is ready.

In his written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Minister of Earth Sciences Prithviraj Chavan said according to the bill, the BRAI will be an autonomous and statutory agency to regulate various facets of modern biotechnology.

The bill provides for setting up of Inter-Ministerial Governing Board to oversee the performance of the Authority amongst other functions, Chavan said in his reply when asked if the government proposes to enact a law for establishment of such an Authority.

He said feedback was taken from state governments and Union Territories and, based on the inputs, a provision to set up the State Biotechnology Advisory committee in each state for monitoring and compliance has been made in the BRAI Bill (2010).

The minister, however, said no time frame can be given at this stage about the implementation of the law.a