New Delhi, August 1: Parliament on Tuesday passed the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill-2023, which has provisions for sharing benefits of biodiversity commerce with locals and decriminalises biodiversity-related offences. Rajya Sabha Passes Mediation Bill, 2021.

Rajya Sabha passed the bill, which amends the Biological Diversity Act of 2002, by a voice vote on Tuesday. Lok Sabha had cleared the proposed legislation on July 25. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said the amendments give more power to the tribals and local people while promoting collaboration. The bill would also help in simplifying the patent application process, he added.

The bill was introduced in Parliament on December 16, 2021. It was later moved to a joint committee on December 20, 2021 due to concerns that the amendments favoured the industry and contradicted the spirit of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Biodiversity Law 'most Retrograde', Passed by Rajya Sabha Without Meaningful Debate: Jairam Ramesh.

The joint committee submitted its report in Parliament on August 2, 2022 with the suggestion that the bill may be passed after the inclusion of its recommendations.