Uttar Pradesh First in GI Tagging | 18 Apr 2025

Why in News?

The Prime Minister presented Geographical Indicator (GI) tag certificates to 21 traditional products of Uttar Pradesh during his Varanasi visit .

GI Certified Products:
- Varanasi: Banarasi Tabla , Banarasi Stuffed Chilli, Shehnai , Metal Casting Craft, Mural Painting, Red Peda, Thandai, Tricolor Barfi, and Karonda of Chirgaon.
- Bareilly: Bareilly furniture, Zari Zardosi, Terracotta.
- Mathura : Mathura's Sanjhi Craft.
- Products from other districts:
  - Kathia wheat of Bundelkhand,
  - Flute of Pilibhit,
  - Wood Craft of Chitrakoot,
  - Stone inlay work of Agra
  - Imarti of Jaunpur.
- Uttar Pradesh has now become the top state in India with 77 GI tags .
- The Kashi region alone has 32 GI tagged products , making it one of the GI hubs of the world .
Importance:
- Getting legal protection will stop counterfeit products and increase the credibility of original producers in the market .
- From an economic point of view, GI tag will increase the brand value of products and boost exports .
- New employment opportunities will be created at the local level.

A Geographical Indication (GI) tag is a name or mark used on special products that belong to a specific geographical location or origin.
The GI tag ensures that only authorised users or people residing in the geographical region are allowed to use the name of a popular product.
It also protects the product from being copied or imitated by others.
- A registered GI tag is valid for 10 years.
GI registration is overseen by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Legal Framework:
- It is regulated and guided by the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).