25/09/2020 - Indian Economy

KEY POINTS

·         A major chunk of the scheduled tribe population—tribal cultivators and artisans—already belong to the self-employed category. In fact, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2018-19 report, a large proportion of scheduled tribe workers (57%) are self- employed, basically in the agriculture & allied activities and handicrafts.

·         For instance, post the GI tag, the price of Kadaknath Chicken, a native breed of the Dhar and Jhabua districts in Madhya Pradesh and primarily nurtured by the Bhil tribals, has gone up significantly. Greater awareness about the exotic nature of Kadaknath has resulted in a huge spike in its demand and breeders are making respectable profits.

·         Having said so, getting the GI tag alone may not be enough to economically upstage the tribal population. The benefit of the GI registered tribal product, in many cases, accrues not to the artist but to traders or middlemen.

·         Second, traditional hand-woven designs are often duplicated and sold at a lower price through mass production, which deprives the tribes of their legitimate income. A case in point is the GI registered unique hand-woven embroidery and textile designs made by the Toda tribe of the Nilgiris.

·         Third, marketing and brand promotion is an issue. The GI tag enhances the value—in terms of sales and profits—of only those products which are known, are already profitable, and the enhanced revenue reaches the actual producer of the traditional product.

·         Hence, it should be ensured that the provisions of GI are strictly implemented and any infringements, such as cases of proliferation of duplicate and fake products, are dealt with severely. Moreover, there is a need to upgrade the GI Act, 1999, and make it more inclusive and responsive to ground realities so that more products are GI registered.