Parliament Question: Access to INDIAN Traditional Knowledge Digital Library

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1774 (ANSWERED ON 29.07.2026) ACCESS TO INDIAN TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE DIGITAL LIBRARY 1774. DR. T SUMATHY ALIAS THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN : Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has signed any agreement on Access to Indian Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) and if so, the details thereof and the outcome expected; (b) whether the TKDL contains information on over 5.2 Lakh formulations and practice from Indian traditional medicine and if so, the details thereof; and (c) whether the agreement signed with IP Australia opened access to database under Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH) (a) Yes. Access to the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) database is provided to patent offices worldwide that have signed Non-disclosure Access Agreements with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for patent grant procedures. The eighteen patent offices that access the TKDL include the ControllerGeneral of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (India), European Patent Office, US Patent & Trademark Office, Japanese Patent Office, German Patent & Trade Mark Office, Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Instituto Nacional de Propiedad Industrial (INAPI) (Chile), IP Australia, Intellectual Property Office (UK), Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia, Rospatent (Russia), National Institute for the Defense of Free Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI) (Peru), Spanish Patent & Trademark Office, Danish Patent and Trademark Office, National Industrial Property Institute (INPI, France), Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO), Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) (Philippines) and Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI), Brazil. Access to the TKDL database enables patent examiners to identify relevant prior-art evidences from the database during examination of patent applications. The Agreement authorizes the Patent Offices to use the TKDL on conditions of utilizing the information for patent search and providing only the relevant prior-art information to the patent applicants for citation purposes. In addition to the above, the CSIR-TKDL files third-party observations and pre-grant oppositions on patent applications related to Indian TK based on the TKDL evidence. Since 2009, through the TKDL, 375 patent applications have been either refused, withdrawn/deemed withdrawn or amended or set aside, thus protecting Indian TK in accordance with its mandate. (b) Yes. The TKDL currently contains information from ancient texts related to Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM) and health such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Yoga and covers a content of about 5,19,978 formulations, practices, diagnostic methods, surgical tools and devices, procedures, dietary interventions and other TK information transcribed in the database. The details are as follows: Stream Language No. of books No. of transcribed formulations transcribed Ayurveda Sanskrit, Hindi, 205 1,48,846 Malayalam Unani Urdu, Arabic, Persian 78 2,65,496Siddha Tamil 301 89,403 Yoga Sanskrit, Hindi 107 7,136 Sowa RigpaBhoti 5 9,097 Total 696 5,19,978 (c) The Non-disclosure Access Agreement signed with IP Australia in July 2026 provides access to the TKDL database for enabling patent examiners of IP Australia to identify prior art evidence from the database and thus help them during patent examination and grant procedures. *********