Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Suresh Prabhu launched the logo and tagline for the Geographical Indications (GI) of India in New Delhi today. On this occasion the Minister said that the GI logo provides an identity to a product and a tagline captures the spirit of India. It describes the bounty, labour and creativity of India’s artisans and the unique nature of products from different parts of the country. The GI will give the rightful share of intellectual property to the artisan and the place of origin of the product. It’s an area of strength and optimism for India, whereby GI tag has given protection to a large number of hand-made and manufactured products, especially in the informal sector. GI products can benefit the rural economy in remote areas, by supplementing the incomes of artisans, farmers, weavers and craftsmen. India’s rural artisans possess unique skills and knowledge of traditional practices and methods, passed down from generation to generation, which need to be protected and promoted.The Minister further said that this will promote grass root development and give a boost to the development of districts for which 6 districts in 5 states have been selected for a pilot project.
The Minister stated that he will ensure that major airports of the country have stalls displaying GI and self-help group products and discussion are also on with NABARD for setting up a portal for GI and self-help group products.The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) had launched a Logo and a Tagline Contest for Geographical Indications of India on 18th October, 2017, through mygov.in platform. A total of 918 entries for tagline and slogan and 383 entries for logo were received and the winners of logo and tagline contest were awarded an amount of Rs 50,000 each.The GI logo will act as a certifying mark that can be used to identify all registered GIs irrespective of the categories. The tagline अतुल्य भारत की अमूल्य निधि (Invaluable Treasures of Incredible India) represents the spirit of Geographical Indications of India and will be helpful in effective branding and promotion of GIs. This will also help in engaging more people on the subject of GIs and making them aware about the benefits of a GI tag.DIPP Secretary, Ramesh Abhishek, and CEO of mygov.in, Arvind Gupta, were also present at the event.