New Delhi, 25 July (Hindustan Times). The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid uproar by MPs from opposition parties over the violence in Manipur. The bill will ensure sustainable use of biological components and fair and equitable sharing of benefits with vulnerable communities.
Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said in the Lok Sabha before the bill was passed by the House that at present the world is facing climate crisis from three sides. These include climate change, desertification and loss of biological resources. The Biological Diversity Act will ensure sustainable use of biological components and equitable sharing with vulnerable communities.
He said that with this bill, we want to promote ease of doing business of biological components. The use of biological resources was promoted by the Ministry of AYUSH. We seek research, collaboration and innovation in this area. He said that the central government wants to promote ease of doing business and ease of living. The work of moving forward in this direction is being done through this bill.
It is noteworthy that when the Central Government proposed an amendment to the Biological Diversity Act (2002) in December 2021, it was criticized for the increased exploitation of the country’s biodiversity resources. After this, the bill was sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee for consideration by the government for further deliberations. After getting approval from there, it was placed on the table of the Parliament. Amidst uproar, it was declared passed by voice vote.
