As many as 19 products from Assam and two from Tripura have received the GI tag, chief ministers of the two neighbouring states said on Sunday.
In a post on X, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said it was a “big win for Assam’s heritage”, adding these “iconic items” were “deeply rooted in history, support nearly one lakh people directly”.
GI or Geographical Indication is a name or a sign accorded to products from a specific geographical location. Only registered person or organisation can use the name of the products.
The 19 items from Assam that are integral to the state’s cultural identity include the Bihu Dhol, Jaapi, Sarthebari Metal Craft, Asharikandi Terracotta Craft, Pani Meteka Craft and the Mising Handloom Products.
Jaapi is a traditional bamboo hat and Bihu Dhol a traditional drum played during the Bihu festival.
“Six prestigious GI Tags have been granted to traditional crafts with support from NABARD, RO Guwahati, and facilitated by Padma Shri Dr Rajani Kant, GI Expert,” Sarma said.
The other 13 items associated with the Bodo community that have received the GI tag are the Jotha, Gongona, Gamsa, Sifung, Serja, Khardwi, Kham, Gongar Dunjia, Thorka, Keradapini, Jwmgra, Dokhona and Eri Silk.
Gongar Dunjia, Keradapini and Khardwi are agricultural products while Kham, Serja, Thorkha, Jotha, Gongona and Sifung are musical instruments.
Pramod Boro, the chief executive member of the Bodoland Territorial Council, said the 13 items that received the GI tag “embody Bodo identity” while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Sarma “for their steadfast commitment towards preserving & promoting Bodo culture & heritage”.
The GI recognition, Sarma said, will greatly boost the promotion of the items “and in taking forward the legacy of these cultural items”.
The two products from Tripura are the Pera of Tripureswari temple and the Rignai Pachra (a traditional tribal attire), chief minister Manik Saha said.
Risa, a fabric handwoven by Tripura’s tribal communities, was accorded the GI tag early this month.
The Dewanbari Mahila Cluster Behumukhi Samabaya Samity in Gomati district had applied for the GI tag for Rignai, a lower garment worn by women along with the Risa, an upper garment.
The GI application for the Pera was filed by the Matabari Mahila Cluster Level Bahumukhi Samabaya Samity in Gomati. It is a sweet prepared with khoa (a milk product) and sugar and has a long shelf life.