Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami distributed Geographical Indication (GI) certificates for 18 products of the State here on Monday. With this a total of 27 products of the State have the GI tag. The new GI certificates were presented for items including Uttarakhand Chaulai, Jhangora, Mandua, red rice, Almora Lakhori Mirch, Berinag tea, Burans Sherbat, Ramnagar-Nainital litchi, Ramgarh peach, Malta, Pahadi Tor, Gahat, Kala Bhatt, Bicchubuti fabric, Nainital candles, Kumaoni coloured Pichoda, Chamoli Ramman mask and Likhai wood carving.
Speaking on the occasion, Dhami thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that it was due to his farsightedness that 18 products of the State received GI tag certification. The CM also congratulated the producers of these products. “In the 20 years from 2003 when the GI law was made to 2023, for the first time one State received GI certificates for 18 products. This will benefit various traditional dishes of Uttarakhand, various other items and those connected to these products while also helping in developing Uttarakhand’s unique identity in the world. I hope that the export of GI tagged items from Uttarakhand will rise swiftly,” Dhami said.
The CM further said that the State government is working efficiently on the One District Two Product scheme to encourage the local products of all the districts. Two products of each district are being developed on the basis of skill development according to market demand, design, raw material and new techniques, among other factors. The main aim of this scheme is to identify the local products of every district and develop the traditional industries accordingly, the CM added.
Agriculture and Horticulture minister Ganesh Joshi said that 18 products of the State including its coarse grains like Mandua, Jhangora, red rice had received GI certification on this day, adding that the State government is working on the path shown by PM Modi for developing a self-reliant India, going vocal for local and encouraging millets. Stating that nine products of the State had received the GI tag in the past, Joshi said that a week-long State-level GI festival will be held in Dehradun from January 12 to 18 next year.
