Rajasthan is very rich in Bio resources. The State provide tremendous bio diversity, rarely to be found in any other State. Agricultural and Forest produce have been the main source of the state economy for quite some time now. It is, therefore, necessary to lay more stress on this sector. Biotech application such as transgenic crops can significantly benefit this sector. The State is a leading producer of mustard, rapeseed, soyabean, barley, maize, wheat, cotton, groundnut, milk, etc. Fruits and vegetables, such as Potato, Tomato and Onion are also available in abundance. There is vast scope of quality improvement of cotton. In addition, there are various varieties of exotic Indian spices in the State. Thus, integrated horticulture development would improve the availability of raw material for food processing industries in the State. Rajasthan is very rich in cattle breed also. Improved species of camel, sheep, rathi cows, nagouri bullocks etc hold great promise of research and development in biogenetics. State has highest livestock population and there is good potential in animal husbandry and genetic engineering. Thus Rajasthan has great potential to create immense industrial activity in Biotechnology and modern Biotech products involving recombinant DNA based products and Bio Informatics. In line with the developed world, the Government would make all efforts to focus on modern processes in the area of agriculture industry, floriculture, human and animal health care (medical and veterinary science) and environment to provide good commercial opportunities in the field of Biotechnology.

India is taking steps to rationalise its policies to be in conformity with the provisions of the WTO. There are several advantages in the setting up of modern biotech industries in the country as it has core competence in some areas like skilled manpower and several R&D institutes. Research institutes and centres like CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, CDFD, CCMB, IISc and IICB presents large technical resource base. In India the largest market segment has been for the health care biotech products, which accounted for 53% of the total biotech industry in 1995. In the year 2000 it has risen to 60% but still the largest market share. Biotech products related to human health in the country are mostly for diagnostic and research purposes, such as antibodies for disease immunodiagnosis, tissue typing, and other clinical tests. Kits for blood grouping and detection for pregnancy, amebiasis, typhold, hepatitis B, and malaria have been developed locally. Health care biotech market in India is primarily divided into:- Vaccine market:- The vaccine market at present is growing at 20 percent annually. Diagnostic market - India's diagnostic market is expected to rise, with increasing demand for veterinary vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and protein feed. Veterinary biotech:- With increasing domestic demand for veterinary vaccines, diagnostics therapeutics, and protein feed, the market for veterinary biotech products is expected to rise. Many multinationals have set up subsidiaries in India; for example, ELi Lilly- Ranbaxy will be marketing Monsanto's DNA recombinant bovine growth hormone to increase milk production. India has a tremendous potential in Agribio being the second largest food producer in the world after China. As there is an increasing pressure to produce more food using lesser resources, GM food products is expected to hit the Indian markets in the next five years. Being agriculture based country; India has huge opportunity in agricultural biotechnology R&D and in its commercialization. About 400 organizations are doing commercial research on agriculture: 200 research labs, 150 companies and 50 service firms, Medical foods and nutraceuticals sectors are also under development.   Opportunities in Rajasthan The opportunities in Biotechnology are numerous and multi-faceted. They are growing in diversity and market value very rapidly. 1 Bio Informatics and Genomic. Information Technology is going to play a major role in the functional development of new genomic medicines, the expected market for which shall be 200 billion US dollars around 2010. InfoTech professionals from the State shall get work from large industries and international genomic houses, which are likely to out-source their requirements. Bioinformatics, broadly means, the interface between Biology and information Technology. This uses computing and data based techniques to describe and analyses the complex information on protein and gene sequences derived from such work as the Human Genome Project. The Human Genome Project (HGP) was the first mega project in biology, involving international participation and public and private partnership. 2 Agriculture Agriculture food products like mustard, soybean, rapeseed, barley, maize, wheat, cotton, groundnut, fruits and vegetables, spices etc. which have a strong presence in Rajasthan, could be targeted for Biotechnology research.  Rajasthan is leading producer of the following crops in the country Mustard, Guar, Isabgol, Barley, Soybean ,Wheat, Ground Nut, Maize  A few more areas of focus in agriculture based sector are:- Bio Pesticides and Bio Fertilizers, Development of heritable traits responsible for various biotic stresses like drought, temperature and salinity in crop improvement. Genetic improvement of Animal breeds, Transgenic Seeds for Dry farming, Development of Bio fuel. Development of genomic medicines. 3 Pharmaceuticals and Contract Research Organisations The trend to outsource low cost R&D capabilities in biotechnology is increasing. This represents a tremendous opportunity for Indian companies to do contract research for  overseas corporations. Typically, opportunities exist in basic gene sequencing work, DNA library preparation, genetic research related to medical diagnostics, new crop varieties and early stage drug development. Large multinational corporations follow a strategy of subcontracting parts of their R&D programmes to smaller and lower cost companies and derive benefits in costs as well as time.  The key stakeholders in this segment would be pharma companies, entrepreneurs, research institutions (public & private), R&D facilities, funding agencies and educational institutes. Contract Research Organisations (CROs) have great potential to function as export oriented units and are comparable in their activity to the software development activities in the IT sector. Software services were outsourced by the large overseas IT companies in a very similar manner, starting initially with the sub-contracting software development of small modules of complex software and a decade later, the Indian IT sector is now capable of handling the entire software, the primary reason for the prolific growth in the IT sector. Contract research in Biotechnology offers the same template of growth and the Government of Rajasthan is firmly committed to supporting these organizations 4.0 Existing Resources 4.1 Premier Institutions in Rajasthan The premier institutions in Rajasthan which are offering education and research facilities in Biotechnology are Agriculture University, Udaipur; Rajasthan Agriculture University, Bikaner; University of Rajasthan, Jaipur; Agriculture Research centre, Durgapura, Jaipur; Birla Institute of Scientific Research, Jaipur; Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur ; etc. These institutes are involved in R&D activities covering Medicinal Plants, Tissue Culture, Plant Genetics etc. BITS, Pilani is offering courses in Bio Tech and Bio Science such as M.Sc., ME, M.Pharma, B.Pharma etc. BITS Pilani is also engaged in research in various areas of Bio technology and Bio sciences and working on various projects for leading companies. This premier institutes can provide consultancy, contractual research, training etc. in the Bio-technology sector. 4.2 Facilities available at R&D Centers in Rajasthan. The R&D Centers located at Agriculture Research Station, Durgapura, Jaipur; Rajasthan Agriculture University, Bikaner and Birla Institute of Scientific Research, Jaipur; Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani are having sophisticated labs equipped with several facilities. 5.0 State Bio Tech Policy The State Govt. will be launching new Bio-Tech Policy.  6.0 RIICO extends a special land package to Modern Bio Tech Industries and Institutes in the designated Bio Tech Parks Now the land allotment for setting up of various Bio-Tech and Bio-Informatics industries including projects covered under Modern Bio Technology, will be made at the rate of development charges prevailing in the area. The following entitled land rebate by way of reimbursement shall be allowed after stipulated minimum fixed investment is actually made on the allotted plot within the period stipulated for investment in the package.  1. Major Bio Technology and Bio Informatics Companies (annual turn over of more than Rs.100 crores in this field as per the latest audited balance sheet) - For the industry which is set up on the allotted plot with a minimum fixed investment of Rs.10 crores within a period of 4 years from the date of allotment in a specially designated Bio Technology parks/ zones, entitled land rebate shall be @ 60% of the allotment rate for the plot up to maximum of 10 acres area.  2. General Bio Technology and Bio Informatics Units- For the industry which is set up by any entrepreneur on the allotted plot in a specially designated Bio Technology parks/ zones with a minimum fixed investment of Rs. 15 lacs per 1000 sqm. within a period of 5 years, entitled land rebate shall be @ 40% of the allotment rate for the plot up to maximum of 5 acres area. Additional discount of 10% on allotment rate may also be allowed if the plot allotted commences commercial production within 3 years from the date of allotment. 3. Advanced Bio Technology and Bio Informatics Institutes - For the institute which is set up on the allotted plot in a specially designated Bio Technology and Bio Informatics zones with a minimum fixed investment of Rs. 5 crores within a period of 3 years and commences operation within 3 years from the date of possession or execution of lease deed whichever is earlier, entitled land rebate shall be @ 50% of the allotment rate for the plot up to maximum of 5 acres area. Advanced BT Institutes would mean institutes offering M.Tech, M.Sc, B.Sc or recognized equivalent courses in this field only.  4. General Bio Technology and Bio Informatics Training Institutes- No rebate in the allotment rate shall be allowed. However, RIICO may consider land allotment in any industrial area on the rate prevailing in the area. 5. Bio-Technology Industries outside the Bio-Technology Parks in Identified Industrial Areas - For the Bio Technology industries which is proposed to be set up outside the Bio Technology Parks in the Identified Industrial Areas, entitled land rebate shall be @ 10% of the allotment rate for the plot upto maximum of 4000 sqm. area. 7.0 Infrastructure for the Development of Biotechnology  7.1 Bio Tech Parks by RIICO Bio Tech Parks at three locations namely Sitapura-Jaipur; Boranada- Jodhpur and Chopanki, Bhiwadi (Alwar) has been set up by RIICO. The necessary common facilities such as incubators, R&D Centre etc. will be encouraged in private sector.  (i) Bio Tech Park at Sitapura, Jaipur:-  RIICO has developed Bio Tech Park in an area of about 23.5 acres at Sitapura, Jaipur. The Park is located on Jaipur, Kota national highway, just 4 kms. away from the Airport and about 15 Kms. from the City Centre. 27 nos. of plots have been developed in the Park.  (ii) Bio Tech Park at Chopanki-Bhiwadi (Alwar)  RIICO has developed Bio Tech Park in an area of about 14.5 acres at Chopanki (Bhiwadi). The Park is located about 5 kms. from the Bhiwadi. 13 nos. of plots have been developed in the Park. The size of the plots is ranging from 3000 sq.mtrs. to 4000 sq.mtrs. Good quality infrastructure such as power, telecom, roads, water supply etc. is available in the park.  7.2 The State Govt. will also encourage development of Bio Technology Parks in private sector. State Govt. would consider extending concessions to such Bio-Technology Parks on case to case basis, to be decided at the level of SLEC/BIDIP. 8.0 Manpower:-  BITS, Pilani; Rajasthan Agriculture University, Bikaner; Agriculture University, Udaipur and other Institutions offers courses  in Bio Tech, Bio Sciences etc. 9.0 Venture Capital Fund RIICO in association with SIDBI has launched a Venture Capital Fund known as Rajasthan Venture Capital Fund (RVCF) for providing Venture Capital to IT, Biotech and other knowledge based industries. For details, please contact: A.K. Sharma, General Manager/ Dinesh Pahadia, Dy. General Manager  RIICO Limited, Udyog Bhawan, Tilak Marg, Jaipur -302005 Tel. No.: 0141- 2227751/5113201, Fax No.: 0141-5104804,  Email : aksharma@riico.co.in OR dpahadia@riico.co.in OR  riico@riico.co.in

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