New GI logo for Kashmir’s hand-knotted carpet

The Jammu and Kashmir government said on Friday that in a major step aimed at safeguarding the genuineness of Kashmir Crafts and brand promotion, the Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai, has assigned a new logo for the famed Kashmir hand-knotted carpet under its Geographical Indication (GI) procedures.

GI logo is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin, a spokesperson said in a statement.

Indian Institute of Carpet Technology (IICT), Srinagar, Director Zubair Ahmad stated that a fresh registration certificate with new logo has been issued by the Registrar of Geographical Indications, which is the competent authority for assigning such benchmarks.

“The new logo will be given wide publicity so that exclusivity of hand-knotted Kashmir carpet is secured and buyers handed satisfaction of purchasing genuine hand-made Kashmir carpets,” he said.

Kashmir crafts, which have the reputation for being amongst the very best in niche global markets, are in pursuit of securing GI registration for all categories. “Apart from hand-knotted carpet, six other crafts have already been GI registered which include Papier Mache, Kashmir Pashmina, Kani, Sozni, Khatamband and Walnut wood carving,” said Ahmad.