Kashi’s GI signature buoyed by budget’s global outreach

VARANASI: Mention of ‘the integration of traditional artisans and their creative products with global markets’ in the Budget speech of Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday sent a wave of joy among local artisans engaged in producing Geographical Indication (GI) tagged signature products in Varanasi region.
In her marathon speech while presenting the Union Budget 2019-20 in the Parliament, Sitharaman said, “I propose to launch a mission which will integrate our traditional artisans and their creative products with global markets. Wherever necessary, we shall obtain patents and geographical indicators for them. With this aim, for the first time in this August House, I declare that we will launch a mission of linking creative industry with the economy and wherever it requires, protecting Intellectual Property rights taking it to the national and international Market front”.
“It is a welcome step by the finance minister to give prominence to the Indian traditional crafts and artisans in the budget. The mission she has proposed to launch will definitely give a boost to the GI products as well as craftsmen of Varanasi region, which has so far received GI tags for 11 exclusive products,” said the GI expert Rajni Kant of Human Welfare Association, who has recently been honoured with Padma Shri award for his contributions in this field. In March this year, Chunar Balua Patthar (sandstone), widely used in architectures and monuments across the country, has been granted GI tag under the natural goods category taking the count of GI tagged products of Varanasi in eastern UP region to 11. The other GI-tagged products of Varanasi are Banarasi brocade & saree, handmade carpet of Bhadohi, Gulabi Meenakari craft, wooden lacquerware & toys, handmade dari of Mirzapur, black pottery of Nizamabad, Banarasi metal repouse craft, glass beads, soft stone undercut work and jute wall hangings of Ghazipur.
“Six more products including Banarasi hand block print, wood carving, Banarasi zardozi, Mirzapur brass ware, Chunar red clay glazed pottery and terracotta craft of Gorakhpur are in the final stage to get GI certification,” said Kant adding that the Varanasi region is emerging as a hub of GI certified products in the state. According to him, about 20 lakh people are engaged in these crafts with an annual turnover of about Rs 20,500 crore.
The initiative would not only benefit crores of artisans across the country but also earn pride in the world and foreign exchange. A significant rise in demand of traditional products in domestic as well as international markets has been witnessed after being covered under the intellectual property rights, he said. The artisans like Zamaluddin Ansari, a master weaver, Kunj Bihari Singh, an artisan of Gulabi Meenakari, and Bachchalal Maurya, a craftsman of soft stone undercut work, also expressed their happiness over the budgetary provision saying that it would improve the living condition of artisans.