Ministry of Science & Technology
azadi ka amrit mahotsav

PARLIAMENT QUESTION: BIO-SAFETY LABORATORIES

प्रविष्टि तिथि: 17 DEC 2025 5:12PM by PIB Delhi

The regulation and oversight of gene‑editingin crops in India are guided by a comprehensive biosafety framework established under the Rules for the Manufacture, Use/Import/Export and Storage of Hazardous Micro‑organisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells, 1989 (the “Rules, 1989”), which notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (EPA). The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) administer the EPA.

Development of gene‑edited (GEd) plants is conducted under strict contained‑laboratory conditions until the plants are shown to be free of exogenously introduced DNA. During this phase, Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBSCs) exercise regulatory oversight, with information reported to the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM).

The regulatory oversight of GEd plant R&D is guided by the following:

1). Regulations and Guidelines for Recombinant DNA Research and Biocontainment, 2017

2). Handbook for Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBSC), 2020

3). The notification regarding the exemption of site-directed nuclease (SDN)-1 and SDN-2 categories of genome edited plants, which are free from exogenous introduced DNA, from the provisions of Rules 7 to 11 (both inclusive) of the Rules, 1989 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 issued by the MoEF&CC vide O.M. F. No. C -12013/3/2020-CS-III dated 30 March 2022. Furthermore, the subsequent development, evaluation, and release of a genome‑edited plant as a new variety or hybrid shall be governed in accordance with all other applicable laws, acts, and regulations.

4). Pursuant to the mentioned notification the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) notified following guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for research and development of gene-edited plants in India.

i). Guidelines for the Safety Assessment of Genome Edited Plants, 2022

ii). Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Regulatory Review of Genome Edited Plants under SDN-1 and SDN-2 Categories, 2022

In line with the regulation, investigators who have produced GEd plants free of exogenous DNA and wish to move them out of containment must submit the lab‑generated regulatory data to their IBSC seeking exemption from Rules 7‑11 of the Rules, 1989. After satisfactory review by the IBSC and acceptance of the minutes of the meeting of the IBSC by the RCGM, the IBSC conveys the exemption decision to the applicant. This mechanism aligns with international practice by distinguishing gene‑edited plants lacking foreign DNA from conventional genetically engineered plants while maintaining biosafety oversight.

Category wise numbers of Biosafety Laboratories (BSL) registered with DBT is placed below.

Level of Biosafety Facility

Number of Laboratories

BSL-1

Laboratories of this type are deemed to be at the lowest risk level. They are utilized for the study of non‑pathogenic microorganisms that present only a minimal hazard to healthy adults. In such environments, standard microbiological practices together with basic personal protective equipment (including lab coats and, where necessary, gloves), hand‑washing facilities, and easily cleanable work surfaces are required.

BSL-2

750 nos.

BSL-3

89 nos.

BSL-4

01 nos.

 

The crops currently being gene‑edited in these laboratories include, a wide range of species such as cotton, rice, sorghum, mung bean, banana, gerbera, saffron, tea, stevia, potato, onion, mustard, maize, pearl millet, foxtail millet, finger millet, ginger, chilli, cucumber, muskmelon, wheat, eucalyptus, pigeon pea, rice bean, groundnut, chickpea, soybean, tobacco, cauliflower, yellow sarson, rubber, apple, brinjal, sesame, papaya,ashwagandha, Artemisia annua, Coleus forskohlii, tulasi, Cannabis sativa, sunflower, urad bean, castor, sugarcane, jute, flax, Salvia officinalis, Ophiorrhiza, citrus, grass pea, lentil, black pepper, okra, and tomato. Institution wise containment facilities and details of crops undergoing gene-editing is placed as Annexure-1.

During the period 2020-2025, one incidence of lab-acquired infectionhas been reported. A doctoral student of National Centre for Cell Sciences, Pune was exposed occupationally to vaccinia virus in a biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) laboratory. Compete details of this occupational incidence is available in a public domain at https://nccs.sciencecentral.in/990/#:~:text=Atom%20RSS%201.0%20RSS%202.0,sciencecentral.in/cgi/oai2

All organizations including private entities are required to constitute and register IBSC with DBT before commencing research and development activities involving genetic engineering including gene-editing.
 

******


            NKR/AK

Annexure-1

Institution/Organization wise containment facility, and details of crops undergoing Gene-editing

S.

N.

Institute/ Organisation

Containment facility

Crop
  1.  

AgriGenome Labs Pvt. Ltd, Kochi

BSL-1

Rice, Tomato
  1.  

Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Groundnut
  1.  

Ajeet Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Aurangabad

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Cotton, Okra, Brinjal, Soybean, Tomato, Tobacco
  1.  

Anand Agricultural University, Anand

BSL-1

Tomato
  1.  

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Banana, Rice, Soybean, Ophiorrhiza plant
  1.  

Bharathiar University, Coimbatore

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Salvia officinalis
  1.  

Bioseed Research India, Hyderabad

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Cotton, Rice
  1.  

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Sorghum
  1.  

BRIC-Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Tomato
  1.  

BRIC-National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute , Mohali

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Wheat, Pea, Pearl millet
  1.  

BRIC-National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Rice, Mustard, Tomato, Chickpea, Groundnut, Cauliflower, Yellow Sarson, Ricebean
  1.  

Central University of Haryana, Mahendragarh

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Soybean
  1.  

Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Mungbean (Vignaradiata), Rice
  1.  

College of Agriculture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara

BSL-1

Banana, Rice
  1.  

College of Agriculture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellayani

BSL-1

Banana
  1.  

CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow

BSL-1

Tomato, Tobacco, Withania somnifera, Artemisia annua, Coleus Forskohlii,

Ocimum basilicum, Ocimum sanctum, Cannabis sativa
  1.  

CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Nicotianatabacum, Cannabis sativa
  1.  

CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus), Saffron, Tea, Stevia,

Potato
  1.  

CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Tomato
  1.  

CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Rice
  1.  

E.I. Dupont India Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad

BSL-1

Rice
  1.  

Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Gandhinagar

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Potato
  1.  

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Rice
  1.  

ICAR - Indian Institute of Groundnut Research, Junagadh

BSL-1

Groundnut
  1.  

ICAR Indian Institute of Maize Research, New Delhi

BSL-1

Maize
  1.  

ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute, Nagpur

BSL-1

Citrus aurantifolia
  1.  

ICAR-Central Institute For Cotton Research, Nagpur

BSL-1

Cotton
  1.  

ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla

BSL-1

Potato
  1.  

ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibers, Kolkata

BSL-1

Jute, Flax
  1.  

ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal

BSL-1

Wheat, Mustard, Rice
  1.  

ICAR-Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research, Pune

BSL-1

Onion
  1.  

ICAR-Directorate of Rapeseed & Mustard Research, Bharatpur

BSL-1

Mustard
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Rice, Maize, Pearl millet, Foxtail millet, Finger millet, Mustard, Tomato
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi

BSL-1

Soybean, Groundnut, Cotton, Sunflower, Urad bean, Rice, Maize
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore

BSL-1

Papaya, Chilli
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Maize
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad

BSL-1

Pearl millet, Sorghum
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad

BSL-1

Castor, Sunflower, Sesame
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur

BSL-1

Grasspea (Lathyrussativus), Pigeon pea, Urad bean, Chickpea, Lentil
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad

BSL-1

Rice
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research, Indore

BSL-1

Soybean
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Ginger, Black pepper
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow

BSL-1

Sugarcane
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Chilli, Cucumber, Muskmelon, Tomato
  1.  

ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal

BSL-1

Wheat
  1.  

ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources New Delhi

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Sesame, Linseed
  1.  

ICAR-National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management, Baramati

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Soybean
  1.  

ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli

BSL-1

Banana
  1.  

ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Rice
  1.  

ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore

BSL-1

Sugarcane
  1.  

ICAR-Vivekananda ParvatiyaKrishiAnushandhanSansthan, Almora

BSL-1

Maize
  1.  

Indian Institute of Science and Education and Research, Tirupati

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Rice, Tomato, Groundnut
  1.  

Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Pune

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Potato
  1.  

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram

BSL-1

Rice
  1.  

Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Pea, Wheat
  1.  

Institute of Forest genetics and Tree Breeding, Coimbatore

BSL-1

Eucalyptus
  1.  

International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Saffron, Cotton, Pigeon Pea, Rice, Rice bean, Tomato
  1.  

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Groundnut, Pearl millet, Pigeon pea, Chickpea, Sorghum, Foxtail millet
  1.  

ITC Life Sciences & Technology Centre, ITC Ltd., Bangalore

BSL-1

Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Soybean (Glycine max), Tobacco
  1.  

Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Tomato
  1.  

Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Tomato, Rice
  1.  

Mahyco Private Limited, Mumbai

BSL-1

Rice
  1.  

Metahelix Life Sciences Ltd., Bangalore

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Maize
  1.  

Micro CRISPR Private Limited, Valsad

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Tomato, Wheat, Mustard, Rice, Soybean
  1.  

National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Rice
  1.  

National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Wheat, Mustard, Rice, Pigeon pea, Finger millet, Chickpea
  1.  

Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Sorghum, Foxtail Millet, Wheat
  1.  

Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Ernakulam

BSL-1

Foxtail millet
  1.  

Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Rice, Chickpea
  1.  

Rubber Research Institute of India, Kottayam

BSL-1

Rubber
  1.  

Sharda University, Greater Noida

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Mustard
  1.  

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar

BSL-1

Apple
  1.  

Siksha 'O' Anusandhan university, Bhubaneswar

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Rice
  1.  

South Asian University, Delhi

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Rice
  1.  

SRM University, Kattankulathur

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Tobacco
  1.  

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Rice, Tomato, Brinjal, Sesame
  1.  

Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, Bangalore

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Finger millet, Rice
  1.  

The Energy and Resource Institute, New Delhi

BSL-1

Potato, Mustard
  1.  

University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore

BSL-1

Potato
  1.  

University of Delhi North Campus, Delhi

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Mustard
  1.  

University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Tomato, Rice, Papaya, Mustard
  1.  

University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad

BSL-1 and BSL-2

Tomato

 

**********


(रिलीज़ आईडी: 2205351) आगंतुक पटल : 158
इस विज्ञप्ति को इन भाषाओं में पढ़ें: Urdu , हिन्दी