In 2025, the Asocia de Pisco, an Association representing traditional grape spirit producers in Peru. filed an application before the Indian Geographical Indications Registry seeking registration of "Pisco" as a Geograph

In 2025, the Asocia de Pisco, an Association representing traditional grape spirit producers in Peru. filed an application before the Indian Geographical Indications Registry seeking registration of "Pisco" as a Geographical Indication (GI) under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. The association claimed that Pisco is a historically recognized distilled grape spirit originating from the coastal valleys of Peru, where unique grape varieties are cultivated and the beverage is produced using 400-year-old traditional distillation methods. Their grape spirit has reputation and distinctive characteristics due to the climatic conditions, soil composition and traditional practices of the region. The association further argued that authentic Pisco enjoys a global recognition and is exported to numerous countries, including India. Upon publication of the GI application in the GI Journal, several objections were filed. The first opposition came from Indian whisky manufacturers Association who argued that the term "Pisco" had been used in India for decades in the hospitality and beverage industry, particularly in cocktails such as Pisco Sour and granting exclusive rights over the term "Pisco" could disrupt long-standing commercial practices and lead to confusion among consumers in the Indian market. A second opposition was filed by the Chilean Pisco Producers Council, representing producers from Chile. They argued that Pisco is also produced in certain regions of Chile and that the term historically refers to a broader geographical and cultural heritage shared by both countries. They claimed that exclusive GI registration by the Peruvian association could unfairly restrict Chilean producers from marketing their products in India under the same name. In addition, the Registrar also received representations from GreenTech Solutions, an Indian importers and exporter Company expressing its concern about the strict enforcement of the GI that it will affect their supply chains of restaurants and bars that had been serving cocktails labelled as "Pisco Sour" for many years. They further claimed to be the exporter of a special variety of grapes grown in Bangalore and exported to Italy for the preparation of grapes spirit. Under Corporate Social Responsibility, their research laboratory regularly analyses the genetic information of the seeds used to grow this special variety of grapes and developed through traditional knowledge contributed by local communities of breeders of the region to identify the genes responsible for crop resilience and adaptation. Based upon the facts of the case, answer the following questions: What is People's Biodiversity Register (PBR) and describe its main purpose as per the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.