science

Human DNA Profiling Bill

Human DNA Profiling Bill is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Human DNA Profiling Bill rather than just read about it. In short: The DNA Based Technology (Use and Regulation) Bill, 2017 or the Human DNA Profiling Bill is a proposed legislation in India. The bill will allow the government to establish a National DNA Data Bank and a DNA Profiling Board, and use the data for various specified forensic purposes.

Key takeaways

Human DNA Profiling Bill belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Human DNA Profiling Bill to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Human DNA Profiling Bill from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The DNA Based Technology (Use and Regulation) Bill, 2017 or the Human DNA Profiling Bill is a proposed legislation in India. The bill will allow the government to establish a National DNA Data Bank and a DNA Profiling Board, and use the data for various specified forensic purposes. The bill has raised concerns of privacy among citizen rights groups. The bill was expected to be presented in the parliament in the monsoon session of 2015.

History The bill was originally proposed in 2007 and in 2012 drafting of the bill began. The draft bill was prepared by the Department of Biotechnology. The bill proposes to form a National DNA Data Bank and a DNA Profiling Board, and use the data for various specified purposes. The proposed DNA Profiling Board will consist of molecular biology, human genetics, population biology, bioethics, social sciences, law and criminal justice experts. The Board will define standards and controls for DNA profiling. It will also certify labs and handle access of the data by law enforcement agencies. There will be similar bodies at state levels. The bill will also create a National DNA Data Bank, which will collect data from offenders, suspects, missing persons, unidentified dead bodies and volunteers. It will profile and store DNA data in criminal cases like homicide, sexual assault, and other crimes. The data will be restricted and will be available only to the accused or the suspect. A person facing imprisonment or death sentence can send a request for DNA profiling of related evidence to the court that convicted him. The bill has the provision that any misuse of data will carry a punishment of up to three years imprisonment and also fine.

Criticism and support The bill has been criticised for not addressing the concerns of privacy. The Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties has opposed the bill on privacy concerns and sent a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission of India in 2012.

A. P. Shah committee report In October 2012, an expert committee headed by Ajit Prakash Shah presented its report. It said that there should be safeguards to prevent illegal collection and use of DNA data. There should be also safeguards to prevent the proposed body from misusing them. The report also suggested that there should a mechanism using which citizens can appeal against the retention of data. There should also be a mechanism of appeal under which citizens under trial can request a second sample to be taken. The samples must be taken after consent in case of victims and suspects. However, samples can also be taken from crime scenes. The committee noted that although the bill allows volunteers to submit samples, there is no proper procedure to obtain consent and there is no mechanism under which volunteer can withdraw their data. The committee proposed that before giving the data to a third party, the person must be notified and consent must be sought, if the third party is not an authorised agency. The report said that purpose for which data is being collected should be state publicly, and the data should be destroyed after the purpose has been served and the time frame has expired. The report said bodies collecting, analysing and storing DNA data should be made to release an annual report, detailing their practices and organisational structure.

Lokniti Foundation vs Union of India (Writ Petition (Civil) No.491/2012 Judgement on 1 May, 2018) In 2012, a non-government organization (NGO) called Lokniti Foundation filed a public interest litigation against the government in the Supreme Court of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No.491 of 2012, stating that India does not have a national DNA database to address the issue of thousands of unclaimed dead bodies in India that are reported annually. The Supreme Court asked the government to present a roadmap detailing how the bill will implement mandatory DNA profiling of unclaimed bodies. The government replied to concern by stating that the bill will establish a national database which will help identify unclaimed bodies, and returned rescued children and adults to their families. The database would store DNA profiles from the relatives of missing persons, and also from convicts, accused and volunteers. The government also added in the affidavit that India also lacks trained personnel to implement it It has also been stated that the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, India was in the process of acquiring specialized software from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), USA for cross matching of DNA profiling data. India has 30-40 DNA examiners and a DNA examiner can handle 100 cases per year. However, India gets 40,000 unclaimed bodies annually, the purpose will require at least 400 DNA examiners. Since, a single case requires ₹20,000, annually ₹80 crore will be required for 40,000 cases, excluding salaries of the examiners and support personnel. The government also said that the final bill will be presented in March 2015. It has been halted due to privacy concerns raised by some NGOs and expert committee set up by the Department of Biotechnology is addressing them.

See also DNA profiling DNA database Unique Identification Authority of India

References

Further reading "Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill (April 2012): High Level Concerns". Centre for Internet and Society. 12 March 2012.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Human DNA Profiling Bill

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Human DNA Profiling Bill claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Human DNA Profiling Bill before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Human DNA Profiling Bill ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Human DNA Profiling Bill

In research: Human DNA Profiling Bill appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Human DNA Profiling Bill in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Human DNA Profiling Bill is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Proposed laws of India, Regulation of biotechnologies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Human DNA Profiling Bill outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Human DNA Profiling Bill in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Human DNA Profiling Bill means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Human DNA Profiling Bill out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Human DNA Profiling Bill in simple terms?

Why does Human DNA Profiling Bill matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Human DNA Profiling Bill?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Human DNA Profiling Bill.