Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, Sept 4: The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Kavinder Gupta today highlighted the importance of GI tagging and stated that GI tagging will protect Ladakhi products from imitation, enhance their market value, generate fair trade opportunities for artisans and farmers and serve as a catalyst for tourism and economic growth, thereby ensuring that Ladakh’s cultural heritage is preserved and promoted worldwide.
While interacting with Dr Rajni Kant, a GI Tagging expert and GI Facilitator, the LG said there are several other products produced in Leh and Kargil which also deserve GI tags, and the UT Administration will work to secure them.
He said, “The UT Ladakh Administration is committed to promoting more of Ladakh’s unique products on a global stage by ensuring that they receive GI tags from the government so that these products get their due recognition and fair price.”
“Granting Geographical Indications (GIs) to Ladakhi products will give them a unique global identity while safeguarding the region’s centuries-old traditions and indigenous knowledge,” said Kavinder.
Dr Rajni Kant informed the LG that the GI tag process for eight products from Leh district including, Ladakh Pashmina Textile, Ladakh Nambu/Snambu Textile, Ladakh Pabu (shoes), Ladakh Thangka Painting, Ladakh Likir Pottery, Ladakh Chilling Metal Work, Ladakh Thigma (tie-and-dye textile) and Ladakh Challi Textiles is in the final stages and the focus would now be on securing GI tags for products made in Kargil.
The LG stated that the GI tags for these products would not only increase their marketability and value, along with boosting the local economy through fair prices and employment, but would also promote tourism and assure consumers of a product’s genuine quality.
“GI tagging, along with community participation and conservation initiatives, will play a pivotal role in shaping Ladakh’s future by striking a balance between tradition and modernity. The UT Administration will extend all necessary support to safeguard Ladakh’s heritage, protect its ecology and empower its people, so that the Union Territory emerges as a global model of sustainable growth rooted in cultural pride,” he added.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
