Multinational Companies, backed by the powerful nations, are
regularly stealing the traditional knowledge of India for their financial gain.
India is not getting any legitimate compensation from those Companies. The
first world countries are granting patents on traditional medicines of India are
causing a great concern to the Indian Government. According to the WTO regulations, it may be
mentioned as bio piracy. Some examples of bio piracy are granting patents of
turmeric, neem and basamati rice by European and American states. However,
Government of India has revoked the patent of some Indian items through their
appeals in the courts of various countries. The revocation of all the patents based
on the traditional knowledge is not the feasible solution of the problem.
Therefore, India Government felt the need of creating a database of non patent traditional
knowledge.
India created its “Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)”
in 2001. After creation of the “TKDL”, a controversial issue has come into the
limelight. The scientists of the Government Organizations such as “Council for Scientific & Industrial
Research (CSIR)”, “Defense Research & Development Organization” are
complaining that their research papers are either rejected or pending on the
grounds of their findings contained in “TKDL”. The main reason of it is the Section
6 of draconian “Biological Diversity Act” and lack of innovative ideas among
the “Council for Scientific &
Industrial Research (CSIR)” scientists who control “TKDL”.
We hope that the Government
of India will relax some of the clauses of “Biological Diversity Act”,
so that our scientists can get their patents in a fair way.
