The Union Cabinet has approved the “Widening access of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) database to users, besides patent offices”.
Key highlights
- The opening up of the TKDL database to users is an ambitious and forward-looking action by the Government of India.
- The opening up of the TKDL is also envisaged to inculcate thought and knowledge leadership through Bharatiya Gnana Parampara, under the New Education Policy 2020.
- Indian traditional knowledge (TK) offers immense potential to serve national and global needs, therewith providing societal benefits as well as economic growth. For example, the traditional systems of medicine and wellness from our country, namely Ayurveda. Siddha, Unani, Sowa Rigpa, and Yoga are serving the needs of people from India and abroad even today.
- The TKDL will act as an important sources of TK information for advancing knowledge and technology frontiers.
- The current contents of TKDL shall facilitate wider adoption of Indian traditional medicines, while also propelling new manufacturers and innovators to gainfully build enterprises based on our valuable knowledge heritage.
About Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)
- The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) is a prior art database of Indian traditional knowledge established in 2001, jointly by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H, now Ministry of AYUSH).
- The TKDL is a first of its kind globally and has been serving as an exemplary model to other nations.
- The TKDL currently contains information from existing literature related to ISM such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Yoga.
- The information is documented in a digitized format in five international languages which are English, German, French, Japanese and Spanish.
- TKDL provides information in languages and format understandable by patent examiners at Patent Offices worldwide, so as to prevent the erroneous grant of patents.
