UP now has most GI-tagged items in country

Varanasi, Apr 17: Six more products from Uttar Pradesh have been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

These include the famous ‘Tirangi Barfi’ of Kashi, a tricoloured sweet that was sold to prove a point by freedom fighters during the Quit India Movement.

The GI Registry awarded the certification to the Banaras Tirangi Barfi and the five other Uttar Pradesh products on Tuesday.

With these six new additions, Uttar Pradesh retains its position as the state with the most GI-tagged products in India, reaching a total of 75.

Tamil Nadu follows behind with 58 GI products.

The other products that received the certification in Uttar Pradesh include Banaras Metal Casting Craft, Lakhimpur Kheri Tharu Embroidery, Bareilly Cane and Bamboo Craft, Bareilly Zardozi Craft, and Pilkhuwa Hand Block Print Textile.

“Two renowned products from Varanasi, the Tirangi Barfi and Metal Casting Craft, were granted GI certification on Tuesday,” said Padma Shri Rajnikant, a GI expert.

He is the general secretary of the Human Welfare Association and has played a crucial role in securing GI tags for 148 producers across 14 states and Union Territories, including those in the Northeast, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Rajnikant said, “These six GI tags were supported by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow office. This achievement solidifies UP's position as the leading state in GI products.”

In 2008-09, the state had only one GI product, the ‘Allahabad Surkha Amrood’.