State will also apply for Geographical indication tag for Kandhamal turmeric
Bhubaneswar: Despite West Bengal gaining the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the popular sweet – Rasagolla, the state government continues to claim that the sweet has its origin in Orissa.
“Let West Bengal take GI certificate for its Banglar Rasagolla. We will seek GI tag from the concernrd authority for the same as the sweet was invented in our state,” Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Prafulla Samal told the media here Thursday.
The state government plans to seek opinion from various legal experts, Samal said, adding, “If required, we will hire national-level lawyers to make our plea strong. I hope we will get the required legal clearance in next seven days.”
There are historical mentions of Rasagolla’s association with traditions and practices associated with the Lord Jagannath. Rasagolla has been traditionally offered as bhog to Goddess Lakshmi at the Jagannath Temple, Puri, and this ritual is known as Bachanika, he said.
“Rasagolla is being served to the Lord Jagannath in Puri temple since the last 800 years. It is in our history and tradition,” the minister said.
The Director, Industries, has been appointed as nodal officer to deal with the issue and very soon an application would be filed to seek GI tag for rasagolla, he added.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Sashi Bhusan Behera said that the state government would also file application to get GI certificate for Kandhamal haladi (turmeric). Kandhamal haladi is very popular in the state for its herbal and medicinal values. The government has started initiatives in order to make it famous globally, Behera said.
The Central Tool Room & Training Centre (CTTC) has completed collecting primary data to apply for a GI tag for turmeric and an application will be submitted at GI office in January next year, sources said.
GI tag is an intellectual property identifier for a product. GI is a name or sign used on certain products, which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin e.g. a town, a region or a country and possesses qualities or reputation that are due to that origin.
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