Push for bio-economy at one-day session

SHILLONG: Chief Secretary K.S Kropha said on Saturday the North East region, including Meghalaya, is amongst the world’s top 10 biodiversity hotspots and “has great potential to develop a vibrant bio-economy for the socio-economic development of the region”.
Kropha was speaking at the one-day Brainstorming Session to develop a ‘National Mission on Bio-economy’ here on Saturday.
Dinabandhu Sahoo, Director, Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), said, “Bio-economy is a new concept. The US, Canada, the European Union and Australia have taken initiatives to boost bio-economy. India does not have a dedicated policy on bio-economy, though it is rich in bio-diversity. A latest estimate pegs India’s fast-growing bio-economy at $35 billion in 2015, which can rise even to $100 billion.”
IBSD’s National Mission on bio-economy envisages development of a road map for an actionable policy recommendation involving all stakeholders for job creation in small-scale livelihood enterprises to commercial scale production for increased economic growth through technological packages to increase primary production, value addition of the unique bio-resources through industrial biotechnology and provision of bio services with tailored packages that are relevant to specific regions across India, Sahoo said.The one-day session was attended by the vice chancellor of NEHU Shillong, the director of Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Shillong and the additional principal conservator of forests (research and training), among others.