GreenVertdicta

On Oct 2020, discussion on TRIPS waiver to Covid-19 started with submission of proposal. On 17 th June 2022, the trade ministers adopted the  Ministerial Decision which gives members greater scope to take direct action to diversify production of COVID-19 vaccines and to override the exclusive effect of patents through a targeted waiver over the next five years, it also contains a commitment that no later than six months from the date of the decision (i.e. 17 Dec 2022), members will decide on its possible extension to cover the production and supply of COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics. At a meeting of the Council for TRIPS on 6 July 2022, WTO members welcomed the adoption of the TRIPS waiver decision . On 16 th Dec 2022, WTO members agreed to recommend that the General Council extends the 17 December deadline established to decide on whether the TRIPS Decision adopted in June at the 12 th WTO Ministerial Conference should be extended to COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutic...

As per press release by UPOV( here ), Ghana accedes to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants Ghana deposited its instrument of accession to the UPOV Convention on November 3, 2021 and became the seventy-eighth member of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) on December 3, 2021. UPOV is an intergovernmental organization based in Geneva. The purpose of UPOV is to provide and promote an effective system of plant variety protection, with the aim of encouraging the development of new varieties of plants, for the benefit of society. UPOV has 78 members covering 97 States. The members of UPOV are: African Intellectual Property Organization, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, European Un...

As per the UPOV press release ( here ).The Government of Panama deposited its instrument ( here ) of accession to the 1991 Act of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants on October 22, 2012. Details about the procedure to become UPOV member can be seen here . The purpose of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is to provide and promote an effective system of plant variety protection, with the aim of encouraging the development of new varieties of plants, for the benefit of society. Panama, which is already one of the seventy members of UPOV, is the fiftieth member to become bound by the 1991 Act of the UPOV Convention. The 1991 Act will enter into force for Panama on November 22, 2012, one month after the deposit of its instrument of accession.

As per the new article here , Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) is doing all sorts of preparations to host the Indian Biodiversity Congress (IBC) -2012, which will be organized by the State Biodiversity Board under the auspices of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA). The state government has constituted a committee led by chief minister Oommen Chandy to take stock of the preparations. The three-day event will begin from 27 th December, 2012 at Kanakakunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram city. Participation of leading scientists from across the globe is expected . This will be the first of its kind event to be hosted in the city by the government under NBA. Earlier, a biodiversity congress was organized in the city by the KSBB with the support of an NGO, he said. Organized with the support of the NBA, state biodiversity boards, various government departments, educational institutions, research establishments and social organizations, the focus of the congress will be on t...

As per a news article here , Sharad Pawar minister of agriculture and food processing industries, on Friday, complimented farmers and all those associated with the development of horticulture in the country for achieving an all-time record production of over 240 million tonnes of horticulture produce. He also informed that “India earned   Rs.14, 000 crores foreign exchange from horticulture produce export” while addressing the National Conference on Horticulture Production and Productivity. Pawar further announced the formal launch of 2012 as the "Year of Horticulture " to bring horticulture development in the country to centre stage. " While we have achieved considerable success on the production front, the supply chain issues still need to be addressed. The Vegetable Initiative for Urban Clusters is an important step in this direction. This was launched during the current year with an outlay of Rs. 300 crores under the aegis of RKVY. To start with, the Scheme is bei...

1. All newly developed plant varieties were notified and released under the Seed Act of 1966 that mostly belonged to the public sector. 2. A proposal to draft a “ Plant Variety Protection” bill was made in 1990. But this proposal gained momentum only after India became signatory to WTO/TRIPS Agreement in Jan1, 1995. When it become mandatory to signatory nations to protect plant variety by Patent or an effective Sui generis system of protection or both as per stipulation of Article 27.3(b) of the TRIPS Agreement . 3. Protection of Plant Variety and Farmer’s Right bill passed by Lok Sabha on 9 th August 2001 and enacted by parliament on 16 th August 2001 as Act No.53 of 2001. 4. The Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India by a Gazette Notification No. S.O. 1589 (E) dated 11 th November 2005 has established a Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority for implementation of various provisions of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers, Rights (PPV&FR)...