Summary:
Maharashtra's extremely popular footwear industry, renowned for its handcrafted leather Kolhapuri chappal has been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, which is likely to further boost its sale in other parts of the country and abroad. The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks has granted the GI tag for Kolhapuris to four districts of Maharashtra — Kolhapur, Solapur, Sangli and Satara — along with four in Karnataka — Dharwad, Belgaum, Bagalkot and Bijapur. The GI tag approvals implies that the artisans producing Kolhapuris in these districts will now be able to make and market their product in domestic and international markets. More importantly, it also prohibit the usage of the term "Kolhapuris" for similar products made in other parts of the country. Artisans in Kolhapur and Solapur, some of them 4th generation specialists, welcomed the development..