Article summary
Abstract
India has made remarkable achievements in the field of biotechnology, spanning healthcare, agriculture, industrial bioprocessing, and environmental sustainability. In healthcare, the country has emerged as a global leader in producing affordable biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, and diagnostic tools, addressing critical healthcare challenges. In agriculture, India’s expertise in genetically modified crops, crop improvement, and seed technology has revolutionized farming practices, enhancing productivity and sustainability. Industrial biotechnology has witnessed significant growth, with Indian companies excelling in enzyme production, biofuels, and waste management solutions. Additionally, India has made notable strides in environmental biotechnology, employing innovative methods for wastewater treatment, biogas production, and bioremediation. Despite challenges, India’s biotechnology sector is poised for further growth, driven by advancements in emerging technologies and collaborative efforts among stakeholders. These achievements underscore India’s potential to contribute significantly to global biotechnological innovation and address pressing societal and environmental challenges. Biotechnology refers to all those techniques which use biological processes to produce substances which can be used as medicines and in industries. It also includes all those methods (and their study) by which a species of living beings (especially human species) can be made superior. For example, making vaccines to prevent diseases, making/using bio-fertilizers, making/using bio- pesticides, making superior species of plants through bio-engineering, protecting the environment and biodiversity, development of DNA figure printing technology, cloning etc. all come under biotechnology. Modern biotechnological processes have their origins in the techniques used in ancient times, such as making vinegar by