New Delhi: In a significant move to streamline the sustainable use of India’s botanical wealth, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has officially operationalized a specialized digital portal to facilitate the electronic issuance of Certificates of Origin.
This new end-to-end online system, under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is designed to support stakeholders in the AYUSH and seed sectors by simplifying the process for obtaining Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) exemptions for cultivated medicinal plants.
The launch of the portal marks a critical step in the implementation of the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023, which was passed by Parliament in mid-2023. To give full effect to these legislative changes, the Ministry notified the comprehensive Biological Diversity Rules in 2024 and 2025.
These updated regulations shift the responsibility of maintaining cultivation records to local Biodiversity Management Committees, which now record data on species, area, and quantity in a digital format.
Through the designated platform at absefiling.nbaindia.in, applicants can now submit requests via a single-window system. The portal automates the generation of Form 12 certificates based on verified cultivation records, replacing older manual or hybrid methods.
This digital transformation is expected to reduce procedural delays for research institutions and commercial entities, ensuring that the benefits of India’s vast biodiversity are managed with modern efficiency and transparency.
The initiative reinforces the government’s commitment to balancing the conservation of biological resources with the ease of doing business for those working with cultivated plant varieties.
By providing a clear, electronic path for documenting the origin of medicinal plants, the NBA is fostering a more organized and legally compliant ecosystem for India’s traditional medicine and biotechnology industries.