NITI Aayog proposes six National BioMissions, Rs 50,000-crore BioEconomy growth fund to drive India's bioeconomy by 2035
New Delhi, July 17
India should shift from fragmented biotechnology programmes to six mission-driven national initiatives covering healthcare, agriculture, industrial biotechnology and disease surveillance to achieve its goal of building a USD 691 billion bioeconomy by 2035, according to NITI Aayog's newly released bioeconomy roadmap.
The roadmap proposes six National BioMissions aimed at strengthening India's capabilities in advanced therapeutics, climate-resilient agriculture, synthetic biology, pandemic preparedness, marine biotechnology and next-generation biopharmaceuticals. It says a mission-mode approach will be essential to translate research into large-scale manufacturing and globally competitive products.
"These are designed to build sovereign capabilities across advanced therapeutics, climate-resilient agriculture, synthetic biology platforms, pandemic preparedness, blue-economy innovation and next-generation biologics," the roadmap said.
The proposed missions include GeneIndia to expand access to affordable gene and cell therapies and precision diagnostics; AgriBio 2.0 to develop climate-resilient crop varieties and quality-assured bio-inputs; BioX Foundry to commercialise synthetic biology innovations; One Health Grid to strengthen AI-assisted disease surveillance; Marine Biotechnology to promote seaweed cultivation and marine bioproducts; and BioPharmaNext to position India as a global hub for next-generation biologics, biosimilars, vaccines and AI-driven drug discovery.
To support implementation, the roadmap recommends creating an Empowered Committee on National BioMissions, a National BioData Council, a BioEconomy Investment and Policy Forum, and a dedicated fast-track intellectual property pathway to improve coordination, strengthen data governance and accelerate commercialisation of biotechnology innovations.
The roadmap also proposes a Rs 50,000-crore BioEconomy Growth Fund for 2026-2035 to bridge the gap between laboratory research and commercial-scale manufacturing, along with PLI-style incentives, faster regulatory approvals and measures to strengthen intellectual property protection. It says these reforms are intended to reduce import dependence, anchor global supply chains in India and support export-oriented biomanufacturing.
According to the roadmap, India's bioeconomy has expanded 16-fold over the past decade to USD 195.3 billion, contributing 4.8 per cent to GDP. It projects the sector to reach USD 691 billion by 2035, generating more than 30 million high-value jobs and establishing 15 globally competitive biotechnology companies.
— ANI
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