India has an opening to become a global leader in biotechnology, but only if it overhauls how the sector is governed, according to an opinion piece by Nitin Pai published in Livemint.
The argument starts from a shift in how nations compete. Biotechnology, Pai writes, has become "a currency of geopolitical power" — no longer just a field of medicine and agriculture, but a strategic asset that shapes a country's standing in the world.
What is accelerating that shift is the meeting of biotech and artificial intelligence. According to the piece, the convergence of the two is transforming the global bio-economy, changing how research is done and how quickly discoveries can move from lab to market.
For India, Pai frames this moment as a genuine shot at leadership rather than a guarantee. The decisive factor, he argues, is governance: if India reforms its governance structures, it can position itself to lead. The clear implication is that without those reforms, the opportunity could slip away.
The piece is an opinion column, so it lays out a case and a call to action rather than reporting a government decision or new policy already in place. Its central claim is that the technology and the moment are aligning, and that institutional change is the missing piece.
Why it matters: as AI reshapes biotech into a lever of national power, whether India modernizes its rules will help decide if it becomes a rule-maker in the next bio-economy or is left following others.