LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh’s tally of Geographical Indication (GI) certified products has gone up to 52 with the addition of four new goods. Baghpat home furnishing, Amroha dholak, Kalpi handmade paper and Barabanki handloom have now joined this elite club.
According to GI expert Padma Shri Rajni Kant, whose organisation Human Welfare Association (HWA) provides technical facilitation to procure the certification, the GI tag was granted to these goods covered under ‘One District One Product’ (ODOP) on Wednesday.
He said that the applications for the GI registration of those four products were sent to GI Registry, Chennai during the pandemic in 2019 -2020. “After long legal and technical procedures, the four ODOP products got GI status on June 14, and now they have been included in the intellectual property of the country,” he added.
According to Kant, Kalpi handmade paper is the first to get the GI tag in the handmade paper category. The reference to Kalpi’s handmade papers is found in the verses from folk songs. He claimed that UP is first in terms of GI-tagged handicrafts with 40 crafts of 52 products to its credit.
In the Varanasi region alone, 18 GI-tagged products out of 23 belong to the handicraft category. “Uttar Pradesh is not only the biggest exporter of GI-tagged products but it also involves the largest number of manpower in this sector, making the highest annual turnover in the country,” said Kant.
In the recent G20 meet in Varanasi, Kashi’s GI crafts attracted foreign guests while artisans and weavers showcased their skills. About 50 lakh people in the state are engaged in the production of 52 GI products.
The registration process of 27 more products of UP for GI is in the final stage, which is likely to be completed by December, this year. Earlier three ODOP crafts, Mainpuri tarkashi, Mahoba Gaura stone craft and Sambhal horn craft, had received GI certification.
First state to get in GI-tagged handicrafts
GI expert Padma Shri Rajni Kant claimed that UP is first in terms of GI-tagged handicrafts with 40 crafts of 52 products to its credit. In Varanasi region alone, 18 GI-tagged products out of 23 belong to the handicraft category. UP also involves the largest number of manpower in this sector, making the highest annual turnover in the country.