Does India need to upgrade its biosecurity measures?, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• Biosecurity involves practices to deter misuse of biological agents, toxins, and technologies.
• The Biological Weapons Convention (1975) prohibits biological weapons development and mandates destruction of stockpiles.
• India is vulnerable to bio-risks due to its geography, ecology, dependence on agriculture and large population.
• India's biosecurity is managed by multiple agencies, including the Department of Biotechnology and the National Centre for Disease Control.
• India's biosecurity laws include the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the Weapons of Mass Destruction Act, 2005.
• India ranks 66th on the Global Health Security Index.
• A unified national biosecurity framework is needed to coordinate actions across government agencies.

Detailed Insights:

• Biosecurity extends to protecting human, agricultural, and animal health from pathogens, differing from biosafety, which prevents accidental leakage.
• The alleged preparation of Ricin highlights the risk of non-state actors using biological tools, increasing the urgency for robust biosecurity measures.
• Rapid advancements in biotechnologies have increased the potential for malicious actors to experiment with bioweapons.
• India's biosafety and biosecurity laws also include Biosafety Rules (1989) and guidelines released in 2017 for Recombinant DNA Research and Biocontainment.
• The National Disaster Management Authority provides guidelines on managing biological disasters.
• While India participates in international biosecurity platforms, its ability to effectively respond to biothreats has decreased according to the Global Health Security Index.
• A national biosecurity framework is necessary to identify and address infrastructure and capability gaps.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Biosecurity: Practices and systems designed to deter the intentional misuse of biological agents, toxins or technologies.
• Biosafety: A set of practices meant to prevent the accidental leakage of pathogens.
• Biological Weapons Convention: International treaty prohibiting the use and development of biological weapons.