"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
17 Dec 2022 78
Have you heard of Gamocha? It is a unique cloth article made in Assam and found nowhere in India. It is a symbol of Assamese culture and is held in high esteem. The Assamese have reasons to rejoice as the Gamocha has been awarded the GI tag by the Centre.
Eight additional items have been included in the existing Geographical Indications (GIs) list. They include Tandur red gram from Telangana, Raktsey Karpo apricot from Ladakh, Alibag white onion from Maharashtra, and five agricultural products from Kerala.
GI, which has been approved by the World Trade Organization (WTO), is a term used to describe the geographic area from which a product, whether it be an agricultural product, a natural good, or a manufactured good, conveys the guarantee of quality, distinctiveness, and characteristics that are peculiar to that particular geographic region or place of origin.
With this addition, there are now 432 GI tags in India overall. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka are the top five states with the most GIs. Out of these, 401 are goods with an Indian provenance and 31 are from abroad.
The promotion of GIs not only encourages the movement of various products among states but also helps to create a better, more dynamic cultural society in the future, in addition to fostering the development of cross-cultural societies within the nation.