The Odisha Government, which was caught napping while West Bengal bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for “Banglar Rasogolla”, has decided to file GI recognition for “Jagannath Rasagola” instead of “Odishara Rasagola”.
The Government’s decision was taken on the basis of a report prepared on suggestions from various stakeholders, experts and lawyers regarding filing of GI tag. In a letter to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Secretary, the Director of Industries has said that if the State applies for GI tag for ‘Odishara Rasagola’ against its Bengal counterpart then it would not be able to get any result from it.
The letter said that chances of successfully registering for “Odisha Rasagola” are not very promising. Since there are so many different kinds of this sweet delicacy being prepared in Odisha, it would not be able to identify any unique qualities associated with the sweet.
Hence, applying with the name of “Odishara Rasagola” would not derive any benefit.
Similarly, since there is no historical evidence of “Pahala Rasagola” unlike in the case of the sweet associated with lord Jagannath, the letter suggested that applying GI tag for “Jagannath Rasagola” would be a fit case. In the letter, it has been mentioned that the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) or even a temple servitors’ association can file an application for GI tag on behalf of the State Government.