Govt working on a booster shot for biopharma startups

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday held a discussion with India’s biopharma and biotechnology startups on key challenges and ways to unlock new opportunities for growth in the sector.

The minister indicated that the government is looking at the need for coordinated action to simplify regulatory processes, improve access to funding, expedite patent approvals, and strengthen indigenous procurement and research infrastructure to boost startups.

“Stronger collaboration between government, industry and research institutions will help innovative startups scale and contribute to India’s growing bioeconomy,” he said.

India’s bioeconomy has expanded from about $10 billion in 2014 to over $195 billion in 2025, reflecting a massive growth trajectory over the past decade. The sector has recorded an annual growth of around 17–18 per cent in the last year alone, rising from approximately $165 billion to $195 billion, marking India’s emergence as a major global biotechnology hub, according to the India BioEconomy Report (IBER 2026).

India is steadily moving towards its target of a $300 billion bioeconomy by 2030, supported by a strong base of scientists, entrepreneurs, and startups.

The IBER 2026 report has highlighted that India’s bioeconomy contributes around 4.8 per cent to the national GDP, with a strong CAGR of nearly 18 per cent. The sector has more than doubled in size since 2020 and is supported by over 11,800 biotech startups across the country.

The Centre’s BioE3 Policy (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment, and Employment) is a major step towards strengthening bio-based industries and sustainable biomanufacturing. The policy aims to promote innovation in areas such as precision biotherapeutics, smart proteins, climate-resilient agriculture, bio-based chemicals, and carbon capture technologies. Goyal added that BIRAC is facilitating this transformation by building shared infrastructure such as bio foundries, Bio-AI hubs and advanced biomanufacturing platforms.

The government has also set up a Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Fund with an outlay of Rs 1 lakh crore, under which BIRAC has been assigned a key role in supporting biotechnology ventures. This initiative aims to channel long-term investment into projects ready for scale-up and technology translation, strengthening India’s deep-tech ecosystem.

–IANS

Related Posts

NCW seeks report on Pune rape case from Maharashtra DGP

Mumbai, Feb 27 (IANS) The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken a serious note of the sexual assault on a 26-year-old woman inside the bus in Swargate bus depot in Pune and asked the state police chief to submit a detailed investigation report.

The Commission’s chairperson, Vijaya Rahatkar, in a letter to the state Director General of Police, Rashmi Shukla, has asked to submit an investigation report and also a copy of the complaint by the victim.

In a related development, the Pune Police are now in action mode as they have inquired about the whereabouts of the accused, Dattatray Gade. However, the police sources said that Gade’s brother told them that the accused did not come to his home, and he does not have a mobile phone. Further, the police have questioned Gade’s girlfriend and have called his parents for questioning.

The police sources said the investigation carried so far by them revealed that Dattatray Ramdas Gade is a resident of Gunat village in Shirur taluka from the Pune district. He has three acres of ancestral land and a family house. His parents work in the field. He also has a brother, a wife and children. Gade has no job and was moving around in search of employment. The police sources said that he had indulged in robbery to earn money quickly. Besides, he had engaged in the looting of villagers. He is a history-sheeter, the police have said.

Gade bought a four-wheeler in 2019 by raising a loan for transporting passengers from Pune to Ahilyanagar. During this time, he used to give lifts, especially to elderly women wearing jewellery and rob them at knife point. Gade had contested the election in Gunat village for the post under the state government’s TantaMukti Abhiyan (dispute-free village campaign) but lost it.

The police sources said he was also engaged in election work during the recent Assembly polls. Gade had committed a robbery at Kare Ghat near Shirur village in 2020. He was also charged with robbery and sentenced. He also has two cases registered in Shikrapur, Supa, Kedgaon and Kotwali police stations in the Ahilyanagar district.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut claimed that the incident in the Shivshahi bus in Swargate depot from Pune is similar to the Nirbhaya case in Delhi. “Fortunately, the victim’s life was saved. Our Shiv Sainiks staged a strong protest at Swargate. Vasant More, Sanjay More and women activists protested. Now cases will be registered against them. There is no longer any fear of law to the gangs operating in Pune. The Home Minister is using the Home Department for political work mainly to harass the opposition,” he said.

Shiv Sena(UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray condemned the incident and asked where Maharashtra was heading. “The same in Mumbai too. Attack on Marathi too. No one is afraid of the police,” he said. He gave a pat on party activists, including Vasant More, who staged a protest at the Swargate bus depot.

–IANS

sj/dpb

Equities beat gold in long-term returns, capital protection: Report

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Indian equities provided approximately 11.5 per cent annualised returns, compared to gold’s returns of about 8–10 per cent, based on various rolling-period analyses from 1990 to 2025, a report said on Thursday.

A study by investment management firm OmniScience Capital revealed that Nifty50 has historically provided better average returns for holding periods of three years or more, along with a significantly higher likelihood of capital protection.

The report said that there is a 98.1 per cent likelihood of principal protection in Nifty for holding periods of three years or more, in contrast to an 84 per cent probability for gold during the same timeframe.

The firm said that investors must remain invested for approximately seven years to achieve a 99.3 per cent probability of capital protection for gold.

“Gold’s role is best kept as a modest hedge, ideally not exceeding 10–20 per cent of a portfolio,” OmniScience Capital President and Chief Portfolio Manager, Ashwini Shami, said.

The report cited data showing that gold prices can significantly spike, especially during a macroeconomic crisis, and then crash significantly once the crisis is over. The percentage fall post the crisis ranged from (-) 17 per cent to (-) 44 per cent.

Comparing the S&P 500 against global gold prices, the benchmark index returned about 9.4 per cent annually over the last 40 years, against 5 per cent for gold.

The study concluded that although gold remains a safe-haven asset, both Indian and global equities are superior as a wealth builder in the long term, beating inflation consistently.

Regarding gold being used as a hedge against inflation, the investment management firm said that it found weak correlations between gold and inflation measures.

OmniScience said that the gold is more responsive to global interest rates, the movements in the US dollar, central bank purchases, and investor risk sentiment than to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

–IANS

aar/vd

Cyclone Arnab: Thousands stranded as severe floods inundate Odisha’s Ganjam, Gajapati

Bhubaneswar, Oct 30 (IANS) The flood situation remains critical in Odisha, particularly Ganjam and Gajapati districts, in the wake of incessant rainfall induced by severe Cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’.

The exceptional downpour triggered massive flash flooding in several areas of South Odisha, disrupting road connectivity after roads and bridges were washed away. Several areas were cut off, leaving thousands of people stranded in the affected southern districts.

Among the affected districts, Ganjam remains a major cause for concern, with rescue teams undertaking extensive operations to evacuate people stranded by the floods.

Speaking to media persons, Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Friday said an analysis of rainfall data of the last three days preceding Thursday revealed that Ganjam district received 118 per cent excess rainfall. Similarly, Gajapati recorded 103 per cent excess rainfall over the same two to three days, while Kandhamal received 123 per cent excess rainfall.

“Ganjam district broke all previous rainfall records this time, receiving an unprecedented amount of rainfall within such a short period. This resulted in extensive damage across the district,” the minister said.

As many as 386 villages under 22 blocks and 18 Urban local bodies have been affected in Ganjam. Around 43,000 people have been affected in Ganjam district, of whom 23,323 have been evacuated and accommodated in various relief centres.

On Thursday, the Indian Coast Guard aircrew using the ALH Mk-III helicopter successfully winched six individuals — including two women, two children, and one elderly person — stranded at a heavily inundated Public Health Centre (PHC) in Jagmohan in Ganjam district to safety.

Meanwhile, Fire Services personnel have so far rescued 303 people stranded in Berhampur, 359 in Chhatrapur in Ganjam district, 31 in Gajapati district and 91 in Kandhamal district.

The Indian Navy, utilising four of its helicopters, started carrying food packets and air-dropping relief materials at 21 locations in the flood-affected Ganjam district on Friday.

The Fire Services and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams have also been deployed to deliver food supplies to affected people.

The strong water currents that prevented rescue teams from reaching several areas earlier have now subsided, allowing them to access all flood-hit villages, including those that remain marooned.

At present, 352 relief centres are operational in Ganjam district and 340 in Gajapati district. As many as 23,300 people are currently staying in the 352 relief centres in Ganjam, while 21,782 people have taken shelter in the 340 relief centres in Gajapati.

Revenue Minister Pujari said that the number of people still marooned in flood-affected areas is higher than those accommodated in relief centres.

He also expected the situation to improve soon, as there had been no rainfall in the past 24 hours. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi did an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in Ganjam and other districts.

The central team is also likely to visit the affected areas soon to assess the damage caused by the cyclone and incessant rainfall in Odisha.

–IANS

grm/dpb