Basohli Pashmina, a more than 100-year-old traditional craft from Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, has got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
Basohli Pashmina
- 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.
- Pashmina refers to a fine variant of spun cashmere (the animal-hair fibre), that is 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.
- A traditional producer of pashmina wool in the Ladakh region are a people known as the Changpa (nomadic people inhabit the Changthang plateau of Tibet).
Geographical Indication Tag
- It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical originand possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
- This is typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts and industrial products.
- The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
- This GI tag is valid for 10 years following which it can be renewed.