Lok Sabha Question No. 3692 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-25
Subject: Traditional Knowledge Digital Library
Ministry: AYURVEDA,YOGA & NATUROPATHY,UNANI,SIDDHA AND HOMEOPATHY (AYUSH)
Asked by: Poonam (Mahajan) Vajendla Rao, Debasree Chaudhuri

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3692 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2022

## TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE DIGITAL LIBRARY

## 3692. SHRIMATI POONAM MAHAJAN: MS. DEBASREE CHAUDHURI:

Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  put  in  place  Traditional  Knowledge  Digital  Library  to protect  ancient  and  traditional  knowledge  of  Indian  medical  systems  and  heritage  of  the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) the salient features and the status of implementation thereof;

(d)  the  amount  allocated  and  released  for  setting  up  any  initiative  under  the  Scheme, State/UT-wise including Maharashtra and West Bengal; and

(e) the other measures taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to protect ancient and traditional knowledge of indigenous medicinal systems?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF AYUSH (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)

(a) (b)  &  (c)  Yes,  Madams.  The  Traditional  Knowledge  Digital  Library  (TKDL)  is  a pioneering initiative of India, under the joint collaboration of the Council of Scientific and Industrial  Research  (CSIR)  and  Ministry  of  Ayush,  to  prevent  exploitation  and  to  protect Indian traditional knowledge at Patent Offices worldwide. The TKDL includes India's rich traditional  knowledge  related  to  the  systems  of  medicine  from  classical/  traditional  books related  to  Ayurveda,  Unani,  Siddha  and  Sowa  Rigpa  as  well  as  practices  of  Yoga.  The information from the ancient texts of medicine and health existing in local languages such as Sanskrit,  Hindi,  Arabic,  Persian,  Urdu,  Tamil,  Bhoti,  etc.  have  been  digitized  in  five international  languages,  namely,  English,  French,  German,  Spanish  and  Japanese  in  the TKDL database as prior art.

A total of 418885 formulations including 119269 in Ayurveda, 236399 in Unani, 54689 in Siddha, 4151 in Yoga and 4377 in Sowa Rigpa have been transcribed so far into the TKDL database.

As per the extant Government of India approvals in place, the access of the database is given to  patent  offices  world-wide  that  have  signed  non-disclosure  access  agreements  with  the CSIR.  Fourteen  patent  offices  including  the  Indian  Patent  Office  (Controller  General  of

Patents,  Designs  &  Trade  Marks),  European  Patent  Office,  US  Patent  Office,  Japanese Patent Office,  German  Patent Office, Canadian  Patent Office, Chile Patent Office, Australian Patent Office, UK Patent Office, Malaysian Patent Office, Russian Patent Office, Peru  Patent  Office,  Spanish  Patent  &  Trademark  Office  and  Danish  Patent  &  Trademark Office have been granted access to the TKDL database.

The CSIR-TKDL Unit also files third party observations and pre-grant oppositions on patent applications related to Indian traditional knowledge based on the TKDL evidences.

So far, 265 patent applications have been either withdrawn/deemed withdrawn or amended or set aside on the basis of TKDL evidence thus protecting Indian traditional knowledge.

(d)   As per the information received from CSIR, The TKDL activity is not supported under a scheme. It is implemented through Projects. The amount allocated for TKDL during FY 2021-22 is Rs. 1141.350 lakh.

(e)      Under  the  national  Biological  Diversity  Act,  2002  &  Rules,  2004,  the  National Biodiversity Authority has been pursuing efforts on People's Biodiversity Register (PBR). The register is a tool for formal recording and maintenance of comprehensive information on availability and knowledge of local biological resources, their medicinal or any other use. The  CSIR-Traditional  Knowledge  Digital  Library  Unit  has  signed  a  Non-Disclosure Agreement  with the National Biodiversity Authority for evaluating and identifying modalities  for  possible  inclusion  of  information  from  the  People's  Biodiversity  Register (PBR) into the TKDL database.