Genetic engineering, GM crops, gene editing and the regulatory bodies governing biotechnology in India.
Biotechnology — the use of biological systems and organisms to develop products and technologies — spans agriculture (GM crops), medicine (vaccines, gene therapy), and industry, and is a steadily growing Science & Technology topic across UPSC, APPSC and TSPSC, frequently linked to current affairs on GM crop approvals and gene-editing breakthroughs.
Recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology allows scientists to isolate a gene of interest and insert it into another organism's genome, giving it a new trait (e.g. pest resistance, herbicide tolerance). Key tools include restriction enzymes (molecular "scissors" cutting DNA at specific sequences), vectors (like plasmids or modified viruses that carry the gene into the host cell), and, more recently, CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology, which allows precise, targeted editing of DNA sequences and has revolutionised both research and applied biotechnology since the early 2010s.
Bt cotton, engineered with a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to produce a toxin resistant to bollworm pests, is currently the only GM crop commercially approved for cultivation in India (since 2002). Other GM crops, notably Bt Brinjal and GM Mustard (DMH-11), have faced regulatory approval and legal challenges, remaining contentious due to environmental, health and socio-economic concerns raised by various stakeholders. GM crop approval in India follows a rigorous, multi-tier regulatory process before any commercial release.
Biotechnology underpins modern vaccine development (including recombinant/mRNA platforms, prominently demonstrated during COVID-19 with India's Covaxin and Covishield production), gene therapy (correcting or replacing defective genes to treat genetic disorders), monoclonal antibody therapeutics, and stem cell research. India's Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science & Technology, is the nodal body promoting biotech research, alongside its autonomous institutions and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) supporting biotech startups and innovation.
Prelims frequently tests regulatory body functions (GEAC vs RCGM) and specific GM crop approval status. Mains rewards a balanced discussion of GM technology's promise (yield, pest resistance, nutritional enhancement like Golden Rice) against ecological and socio-economic concerns (biosafety, seed sovereignty, farmer dependency) that recur in the GM crop policy debate.
