National Biodiversity Authority Crosses ₹200-Crore Milestone in ABS Disbursement

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has crossed the ₹200-crore milestone in cumulative Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) disbursements under India's Biological Diversity Act, 2002. As part of this, ₹8.23 crore has been sanctioned to 27 State Biodiversity Boards and 5 Union Territory Biodiversity Councils from proceeds realized from seed companies for utilizing four key vegetable crops: Bitter Gourd, Okra, Chilli, and Onion. Because these resources were accessed through open markets and cannot be traced to specific communities, funds are distributed to states based on their cultivation area as published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra emerged as the largest cumulative recipients. The funds are designated for conservation, People's Biodiversity Registers, and livelihood enhancement.