Govt sees job opportunities in region-specific food, art, handicrafts

Navalgund durries from Karnataka, Sujini embroidery from Bihar, Banaganapalle mangoes from Andhra Pradesh and Joha rice from Assam will soon be available across all regions at affordable rates.

In a bid to create more job opportunities on the lines of Make in India initiative and also give a push to exports, the government is promoting goods originating from a definite geographical territory that conveys assurance of quality and distinctiveness.

Around 300 such agricultural, natural or manufactured products have been listed for promotion as "Geographical Indication (GI)", in line with the Make in India campaign.

Handicrafts famous in a particular region as also industrial goods form part of the list.

“The government will protect the items under the GI list and promote them in areas beyond their origin, making them available to people across the country at affordable rates,” an official familiar with the development told DH.

“GI tag will accord protection to a number of handmade and manufactured products, protecting our culture and supplementing the income of our rural artisans across the country,” he said.

Varanasi glass beads, Udayagiri wooden cutlery from Andhra Pradesh, Thanjavur art plate from Tamil Nadu and brass broidered coconut shell craft of Kerala are some of the handicraft items that are part of the list.

“Handicrafts and industrial goods originating from a particular territory are an integral part of India’s cultural and collective intellectual heritage which need to be protected. Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness which is essentially attributable to the fact of its origin in that defined geographical locality,” the official said.

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) through the Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), a professional body under its aegis, is taking up initiatives for promoting awareness and outreach on GIs.

The DIPP will soon launch a suitable tag line for the promotion of GIs. It has also invited suggestions.