India’s Punjab and Haryana states are unable to reap the benefits of geographical indication (GI) tags due to low awareness, according to a top Indian official. Only one product type, Punjab’s traditional embroidery phulkari, made in Punjab and Haryana, carries the GI tag.

In agriculture category, basmati from both the states carries the GI tag. Products that meet the eligibility criteria for the GI tag include Panipat furnishing, Punjabi ‘jutti’ (shoe variety), Patiala ‘salwar’ according to TK Rout, deputy director, market research, textile committee, central ministry of textiles.

Rout expressed this at a recent one-day capacity-building workshop in Chandigarh organised by the textiles ministry with the theme ‘IPR Protection through Geographical Indication (GI), Act and Post GI initiatives’.

The workshop trained agencies of the central government dealing with handloom and handicrafts and similar state departments on GI.

At present, 301 products in India have been registered under the GI Act, 1999, out of which 151 belong to textiles and handicrafts. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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