What we know so far about the Guwahati Biotech Park

Guwahati Biotech Park (GBP) is a platform for science and industry to encourage entrepreneurship in Northeast India. It is situated on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River, surrounded by lush greenery, and close to premier institutes of Northeast India.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Chairman of the Guwahati Biotech Park Society’s governing body.
The facility also been set up very close to IIT Guwahati and Gauhati University.

According to the official website, Guwahati’s Biotech Park will seek to provide self-employment, to the unemployed and additional work for the underemployed.

Ït also seeks “to stimulate the economy of Assam through a focused and comprehensive approach on a few, selected sectors to encourage new groups of entrepreneurs to start diversified business units in the region.”

IAS officer Keerthi Jalli, who was recently appointed the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup district, will take responsibility for the Biotech Park as its CEO. IAS officer Kailash Karthik was the previous CEO.

Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog today held a meeting with officials from Assam's Special Standing Finance Committee at the Janata Bhawan office room and discussed numerous essential issues of the development of the Biotech Park.

In related news, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma last month inaugurated the Technology Incubation Centre of Guwahati Biotech Park at Amingaon, Guwahati, and Assam Biotech Conclave.

Assam and the Northeast are rich in natural resources, and their biodiversity has the potential to grab the markets of Southeast Asia as a whole through concentration in the organic sector. Notably, Assam is one of the 34 biodiversity hot spots in the world.

It is widely believed that biotechnological interventions can greatly assist in becoming an organic centre. 
The plan will promote faster biotech industry penetration and boost biotechnology research and development operations. It will also help educate and utilise local human resources.

It needs mention here that Assam’s biotech policy is focused on “developing biotech infrastructure, improving biotech education, research, and innovation, technological advancement and entrepreneurship support, developing the biotech industry, introducing business support cells, managing accreditations and quality certifications, and providing single-window clearance through the nodal agency, North East Vision Group on Biotechnology, and Centre of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Applied Biotechnology.”