Govt lending a hand in promoting GI tags
Centre will also assist in skill development and capacity building in addition to technology upgrade and enhancing competitiveness
Financial assistance will be provided by DPIIT, which is under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It will be extended to eligible agencies as 100 per cent grants-in-aid for undertaking initiatives for the promotion of GIs
New Delhi: The central government has decided to provide financial assistance to eligible agencies for undertaking initiatives for the promotion of geo-graphical indications (GIs). A GI is a sign used on products marking their specific geo-graphical origins and informing the prospective consumers about the qualities that are due to that origin. Darjeeling Tea, Madhubani Paintings, Bhagalpur Silk, and Mango Malihabadi Dussehri are some of the prominent Indian GIs.
The objective of the financial assistance is to create awareness about the significance of GIs and their uniqueness, promote Indian GIs, identify potential GIs, and encourage stakeholders towards registration, official sources told Bizz Buzz. This, they added, will also assist in skill development and capacity building through, but not limited to, technology upgrade and enhance competitiveness.
Financial assistance will be provided by the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT), which is under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It will be extended to eligible agencies as 100 per cent grants-in-aid for undertaking initiatives for the promotion of GIs.
The DPIIT may on its own undertake initiatives for promotion of GIs within the country as well as abroad with Indian diplomatic missions. The eligible agencies would include those under the Central and State government and Indian diplomatic missions abroad.
Other eligible agencies are: industrial and artisan clusters; GI facilitation centres recognized by the Centre and state governments; institutions, registered societies, certain voluntary or nongovernment organizations; export promotion councils recognized by the Department of Commerce; and commodity boards under the Departments and Ministries of the Central Government.
Government and academic bodies, national-level industries associations such as Ficci, CII, Assocham, and the PHD Chamber of Commerce are also eligible agencies.
An agency may apply for availing assistance under the initiative in the manner as prescribed in the guidelines. The proposal submitted by the agency will be evaluated by the DPIIT. A common GI logo, along with the tagline, was launched by the DPIIT on August 1, 2018, to act as a symbol of trust and authenticity for Indian GIs registered in India. This logo would potentially assist consumers in recognizing authentic GI products and protect the interests of genuine GI producers.
