Proceedings of the Meeting of HOD/OIC Units of NBPGR held on 4.5.2013

The Meeting of HoDs/ OIC Units was held under the Chairmanship of Dr KC Bansal, Director, NBPGR on 4.5.2013 at 11.30 AM and following officials attended the meeting:

Dr DC Bhandari, Head, Plant Exploration and Germplasm Collection Division
Dr PC Agarwal, Head, Plant Quarantine Division
Dr M Dutta, Head, Germplasm Evaluation Division
Dr RK Tyagi, Head, Germplasm Conservation Division
Dr IS Bisht, OIC, Technical Cell
Dr KV Bhat, OIC, Genomic Resources Division
Dr Pratibha Brahmi, OIC, Germplasm Exchange & PGR PP Unit
Dr Shashi Bhalla, OIC, PME Cell
Dr Sunil Archak, OIC, Agricultural Knowledge Management Unit
Dr. Vandana Tyagi,PS, GEx Unit, PME Cell
Dr Madhu Bala Priyadarshi, Co-nodal Officer, PME Cell

The Director, NBPGR welcomed all the participants. He emphasized the importance of PGR and the role of NBPGR in management of PGR. He also presented the role of National Advisory Board on Management of Genetic Resources (NABMGR)playing an important role in streamlining all the issues related to management of GR. He invited Dr. Pratibha Brahmi to make the presentation and to deliberateon the following aspects.

  1. Follow up actions to be taken on the Recommendations made by the NABMGR at its third meeting held on March5,2013.
  2. Inputs required for the draft proceedings of the First Meeting of Designated National Repositories (DNRs), and Draft Guidelines prepared by National Biodiversity Authority for DNRs, as notified under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (NBPGR being one of the DNR)

During discussion the following action points emerged:

  1. To finalize the draft guidelines on the management of PGR by 15 July2013, the finaldocument may be sent to external experts for review.

(Action: Dr. RK Tyagi, Member Secretary, Core Committee)

  1. PGR portal has been launched on 06.12.12 for sharing information. However, contents of portal and its scope through linkages, accession-wise data on evaluated traits including information on well known landraces and varieties need to be reviewed and updated. The meeting of the committee constituted for the purpose may be convened and decisions may be taken accordingly.

(The committee comprises- DDG (CS), Chair; Dr RS Rana, Dr Indu Sharma, PD, DWR; Dr Prem Mathur, Bioversity International and Dr KC Bansal, Director, NBPGR)

(Action: Dr. Sunil Archak, OIC AKMU)

  1. Regarding the conservation of germplasm at permafrost, the site suggested by DRDO to be visited by the team of officials. NBPGR to coordinate the visit with higher officials from ICAR and other institutes and provide technical inputs related to storage/conservation of seed material.

(Action: Dr.RK Tyagi, Head Conservation Division)

  1. A provision may be made for the funds in XII Plan budget for infrastructural facility at Leh (permafrost). Initially provision for an amount of Rs 20crores may be projected in NBPGR EFC XII Plan as over and above the allocated funds.

(Action: Dr PC Agarwal, Head PQ Division)

  1. Procedures and policy of CG centers on IPR issues related to genetic resources is an intense area for research. To review the workplans/ bilateralagreements, MoUs of CGIARcenters andto make these compliant with BDA, MoEF, NBA guidelines and ICAR manual, a small committee is constituted to review all the aspects.

The committee comprises- Drs. Pratibha Brahmi, R K Tyagi, DB Parakh,Vandana Tyagi and Sunil Archak)

(Action: Dr Pratibha Brahmi, OIC, GEx Unit)

  1. Collection and conservation of horticultural crops is an important activity in relation to PGR. In view of the proceedings of NABMGR, IIHR is the nodal institute for collection, evaluation and conservation of horticultural crops. IIHR need todevelop the strategy for exploration and collection of germplasm of horticultural crops, in consultation with Head, Exploration Division.

(Action: Dr DC Bhandari, Head, PEGC Division)

  1. Working manuals on the various activities of PGR need to be developed/ revised on the basis of national/ international guidelines and the same may preferably be doneby August 31, 2013.

(Action: All HoD’s/OICs)

  1. Brainstorming session for sharing of germplasm with the private sectorneed to be organized based on the recommendations of NABMGR. One page background note to be prepared includingthe preparedness, sharing mechanisms, guidelines, models and protocols for giving material to private organizations and third party transfers based on the models of CG Centres and other organizations.

(Action: Dr Pratibha Brahmi, OIC, GEx Unit)

  1. NBA has prepared draft guidelines for designated National Repositories (DNR) under Section 39 of BDA, 2002 and Rules 2004 during its First meeting. The same may be circulated to all HoDs /OICs for their valuable inputs. The response of NBPGR needs to be submitted to NBA by 30June 2013.

(Action: Dr Pratibha Brahmi; All HoD’s/OIC)

The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the Chair.

(Shashi Bhalla)

PME Cell