NEW DELHI — In a major public policy initiative to boost rural entrepreneurship and artisan livelihoods, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate the commercial scale-up and global reach of India’s Geographical Indication (GI) products.
Signed at Vanijya Bhawan by Md. Salik Parwaiz (Director, Ministry of MSME) and Karan Thapar (Director, IPR Division, DPIIT), the pact bridges IP protection with enterprise development. While DPIIT handles legal protection under the Geographical Indications of Goods Act, 1999, the MSME Ministry will leverage its enterprise growth networks to transition traditional crafts into export-ready businesses. A central highlight of the partnership is the launch of the dedicated ‘Bharat GI’ banner on digital public platforms.
Key Highlights
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Inter-Ministerial Strategic Alliance: Combines DPIIT’s legal GI framework with the MSME Ministry’s enterprise development ecosystem to commercialize regional crafts and strengthen the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative.
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‘Bharat GI’ Digital Enablement: Onboarding GI producer collectives and authorized users onto the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and Government e-Marketplace (GeM) under a unified “Bharat GI” showcase.
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Global & Domestic Market Access: Co-sponsoring dedicated GI Pavilions at international trade expos, buyer-seller meets, and domestic exhibitions to drive exports and domestic sales under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.
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Empowering Indigenous Producers: Focuses on quality standardization, capacity building, and digital integration for traditional weavers, artisans, and micro-entrepreneurs.
