Patanjali plea in court: Swadeshi firms need not share revenue with farmers

Asked to share Rs 20 mn from its Rs 4 bn FY15 revenue with farmers who protect and grow bioresources it uses, Ramdev's pharmacy claims Biodiversity Act exempts Indian entities from sharing benefits

Should ‘Swadeshi’ companies have to share with farmers the huge profits and benefits they derive from selling India’s bioresources as their ‘herbal’ and ‘ayurvedic’ products? Or are only ‘foreign companies’ required to provide monetary and non-monetary benefits to the people who grow, protect and conserve India’s biodiversity?

Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali conglomerate, with a self-declared annual revenue of more than Rs 100 billion, contends that state authorities do not have the power to collect such a levy from it because it is a wholly Indian entity. Only foreign nationals and entities, according to the group, are required to share benefits derived