In November 2024, the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles(MoT), in partnership with the Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC) has successfully organised the “GI & Beyond 2024” Summit at The Oberoi, New Delhi (Delhi), where Indian artisans showcased India’s Geographical Indication (GI) tagged handloom and handicraft products manufactured by them to the global stage.
- This one-day summit was inaugurated by the Union Minister Giriraj Singh, Ministry of Textiles (MoT).
- While addressing the event, he highlighted the significance of GI products which have played a pivotal role in promoting India’s rich cultural heritage and invited attention of the gathering on the attractive tourism concepts like heritage and cultural tourism for marketing of GI goods.
Key People: Union Minister of State(MoS) Pabitra Margherita, MoT attended the event as guest of honour. Rachna Shah, Secretary of MoT, Dr. M. Beena, Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Amrit Raj, Development Commissioner for Handicraft, Roop Rashi, Textile Commissioner and Unnat Pandit, Controller General of Patents, Trademark & GI were also present at the event.
Key Highlights:
i.During the event, Union Minister Giriraj Singh distributed new GI certificates to 10 artisans from various parts of the country.
ii.The event had the representation from 13 countries spread across 4 continents and saw the participation of around 20 overseas buyers, 50 exporters & MNCs, 70 GI authorised users and 40 officials from various departments including the state governments.
iii.A technical session was organised on various domains of trade: procedural aspects and ensuring of quality and traceability of the products, GI initiatives for Brand Promotion & creating a Sustainable Market linkage and Linking GI tagged products to Exports Market.
- The session underscored on the importance of integration of traditional handwoven and handcrafted skill with modern business practices to enhance the global appeal of India’s traditional textiles and craft.
iv.A special thematic display was organised which showcased an array of GI-tagged handloom and handicraft products across India, with participation from GI holders and authorised users.
- The display highlighted the uniqueness of regional diversity and cultural value of these artisans products.
Note: India received its 1st GI certification for Darjeeling tea in 2004.
Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of World Crafts Forum:
In November 2024, Union MoS Pabitra Margherita, MoT inaugurated the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of World Crafts Forum in New Delhi, Delhi.
- World Crafts Forum 2024 was organised by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) and the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts, in collaboration with WCC, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the pioneering global crafts movement led by WCC- International.
- The forum celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of the WCC at two different locations i.e. in New Delhi (Delhi) from November 22-24, 2024 and in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir(J&K) from November 25-27, 2024.
World Crafts Forum 2024:
i.During the event, Union MoS appreciated that over 7 million artisans are earning their livelihood from handlooms and handicrafts sector. She further highlighted the achievement that over 300 handlooms/handicrafts products received the GI tag.
ii.In order to celebrate the WCC’s contributions over 60 years, he also released ‘Value of Crafts Report’ and commemorative ‘60 years of WCC Coffee Table Book’.
iii.The forum brought together artisans, policymakers, and stakeholders from 20 countries and artisans from various parts of the country, to showcase the best of traditional crafts and inspire the younger generation.
- It focused mainly on fostering collaboration, innovation, and exploring sustainable practices.
About World Crafts Council AISBL (WCC-International):
i.It is an international non-profit organisation, founded in 1964 at the 1st World Crafts Council General Assembly held in New York, the United States of America (USA).
- It has been affiliated with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) under Consultative Status since its inception in June 1964.
ii.The Presidency of WCC-International rotates after the completion of every 4 years of the term.
iii.At present, headquarters for the term (2021-24) is located in the State of Kuwait and Saad Al-Qaddumi is currently serving as the President of WCC-International.
iv.In June 2024, Srinagar, the summer capital city of Union Territory (UT) of J&K was officially recognised as ‘World Craft City’ by the WCC-International.
- Previously, Jaipur (Rajasthan), Mamalapuram (Tamil Nadu, TN) and Mysore(Karnataka) have been added as World Craft City.
About the Ministry of Textiles (MoT):
Union Minister- Giriraj Singh (Constituency- Begusarai, Bihar)
Minister of State (MoS)- Pabitra Margherita (Rajya Sabha- Assam)
