Prime Minister Narendra Modi – August 15, 2019
Empowering Tribal Craftsmanship: 75 new tribal products added to Tribes India catalogue.
With the mission to transform the lives of tribals in India, various initiatives were launched to support and sustain tribal incomes and livelihoods. To mark the landmark day of 75 years of Independence, TRIFED launched 75 new products to the already extensive, attractive Tribes India catalog. The objective of the mission is to recognize the craftsmanship of the tribal artisans as well as providing a boost to their livelihood. The 75 new added products are sourced from all across the country and include exquisite and attractive items such as figurines, handmade jewelry, decoration materials, and handcrafted apparel such as kurtas, shirts, masks. The list also included organic products such as spices, processed juices, and other herbal powders.
TRIFED GI Movement:
Aligning with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Vocal for Local’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation (TRIFED) has identified 75 products of Tribal origin that will be registered for Geographical Indication (GI) Tag, which comes under Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, India.
The objective of identifying GI products is to create awareness of these products across the world and sensitize people about the rich cultural heritage of India. The GI tagging of the tribal products has been identified from 20 states. Out of 75 tribal products, 37 products belong to 8 states of North East, while from the tribal heartland, 7 products are identified for GI tagging from Jharkhand and 6 products from Madhya Pradesh.
Atmanirbhar Bharat Corner:
With the view of promoting identified tribal products with GI Tags to transform them into a brand to symbolize empowerment of tribal artisans, TRIFED in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs is geared to set up an Atmanirbhar Bharat Corner in 100 Indian Missions/Embassies across the world. The Atmanirbhar Bharat Corner will prove to be an exclusive space to promote GI-tagged tribal art and craft products apart from natural and organic products. The brochures and catalogs prepared by TRIFED have also been shared with the embassies. These brochures showcase the richness and variety of tribal products.
Among the missions and embassies contacted, 42 of them including countries like Jamaica, Ireland, Turkey, Kenya, Mongolia, Israel, Finland, France, and Canada, have reverted. The process of dispatching the first set of tribal products for the corner has been initiated by TRIFED.
This is not the first time that TRIFED has taken such a step to promote age-old tribal traditions, but earlier this year, TRIFED worked extensively in collaboration with various ministries and departments in order to promote GI Tag products.
TRIFED in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture has earlier identified 8 heritage locations across India where GI-specific Tribes India stores will be set up. Among these 8 heritage locations, work has commenced in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, Hampi, Karnataka, Golconda Fort, Telangana.
About TRIFED
Established in 1987, a national-level cooperative body, TRIFED is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India. TRIFED was established with the mandate to bring socio-economic development to the tribals of the country. TRIFED provides end-to-end service, by way of marketing tribal products on which the lives of tribals depend heavily. The objective of the mission is to empower tribal people with tools, knowledge, and a pool of information so that it can aid them in undertaking the operations in a systematic and scientific manner. The approach involves exploring marketing possibilities in national as well as international markets in order to create opportunities for tribal products.