NBA releases ₹2.02 crore ABS funds to 27 states and 3 UTs
Why in the news
On 10 October 2026, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) distributed ₹2.02 crore of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) money, paid by seed companies, to 27 State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and 3 Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs).
Key facts
- Contributors: 7 seed firms – East West Seeds India, Syngenta India, Devgen Seeds and Crop Technology, Limagrain India, Bayer Science and Innovation, Nunhems India and Enza Zaden India.
- Crops: rice, brinjal, cauliflower, cucumber, chilli, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, tomato and okra.
- Sharing formula: where individual benefit claimers could not be traced, the beneficiary share was split by each state’s cultivated area, using Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare data, as recommended by an expert committee.
- Top ten states together got about ₹1.43 crore; the rest shared ₹58,94,948.
- Cumulative ABS disbursement: ₹202 crore.
| Rank | State | Amount (₹) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madhya Pradesh | 23,81,072 |
| 2 | West Bengal | 23,32,913 |
| 3 | Odisha | 19,75,559 |
| 4 | Bihar | 17,28,852 |
| 5 | Gujarat | 13,29,870 |
About Access and Benefit Sharing
- ABS rests on the Biological Diversity Act, 2002: users of biological resources share benefits with the communities and states that conserve them.
- Funds are meant to strengthen Biodiversity Management Committees, update People’s Biodiversity Registers, conserve traditional crop varieties and medicinal plants, and restore habitats.
- The step supports Targets 13 and 19 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and India’s NBSAP 2024-2030.
- India will attend CBD COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 October 2026.
Exam angle
- Amount ₹2.02 crore; 27 SBBs + 3 UTBCs; 7 seed companies.
- Top recipient: Madhya Pradesh; second: West Bengal.
- Legal base: Biological Diversity Act, 2002.