The government will provide financial assistance to eligible agencies for undertaking initiatives for the promotion of Geographical Indications (GIs) products. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has issued operational guidelines for financial assistance for undertaking the initiatives for the promotion of GIs.
DPIIT is an arm of the commerce and industry ministry which deals with investments and intellectual property rights (IPRs). A GI, a kind of IPR, is primarily an agricultural, natural or manufactured product (handicraft and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory. Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.
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The famous goods that carry GI tag include Basmati rice, Darjeeling Tea, Chanderi Fabric, Mysore Silk, Kullu Shawl, Kangra Tea, Thanjavur Paintings, Allahabad Surkha, Farrukhabad Prints, Lucknow Zardozi and Kashmir Walnut Wood Carving. "In accordance with the objectives of national IPR policy, Government of India will provide financial assistance to eligible agencies for undertaking initiatives for Promotion of GIs, which aims to create awareness about significance of GIs and its uniqueness, promoting registered Indian GIs, identify potential GIs and encourage stakeholders towards registration,” the DPIIT said in a note.
It said that the objective is to provide varied platforms to GI stakeholders thereby giving them ample opportunities for business development and income generation. Initiatives would also include capturing socio- economic status of GI goods producers, their livelihood conditions and other related information, which would assist in devising suitable policy interventions, it said.
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It said that the “financial assistance will be extended to eligible agencies as 100 per cent grants in aid for undertaking initiatives for promotion of GIs.”The disbursement of the assistance will be subject to actual expenditure or head-wise maximum permissible amount whichever is less for grants-in-aid as mentioned in the operational guidelines.
On eligible agencies, it said that the department may on its own undertake initiatives for the promotion of GIs within the country as well as abroad with Indian diplomatic missions or its agency or jointly with India's apex industry chambers and their overseas counterparts. Once a product gets a GI tag, any person or company cannot sell a similar item under that name. This tag is valid for a period of 10 years following which it can be renewed. The other benefits of GI registration include legal protection for the item, prevention against unauthorised use by others, and promotion of exports.
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