Jammu and Kashmir's famed Pashmina gets geographical recognition with GI tag

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Last Updated06/10/2023

Recently, Basohli Pashmina from Jammu and Kashmir has got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

It is a more than 100-year-old traditional craft from Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district.
It is a hand-spun product known for extreme softness, fineness and light-weight, has insulating properties and extended life.
Pashmina products include shawls for both men and women, mufflers, blankets and basket.

It refers to a fine variant of spun cashmere (animal-hair fibre) derived from the downy undercoat of the Changthangi.
It is obtained from a breed of mountain goats (Capra hircus) found on the Changthang Plateau in Tibet and parts of Ladakh.
Traditional producers of pashmina wool in the Ladakh region are known as the Changpa.

It is an indication used to identify goods having special characteristics originating from a definite geographical territory.
The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
It is governed and directed by the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
It is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods).
Validity: 10 years following which it can be renewed.