DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

A geographical indication (GI) is a designation applied to products originating from a specific geographical area, indicating that the qualities or reputation of the products are inherently linked to that particular origin.

In India, the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, of 1999 governs the registration and protection of GIs. These tags play a crucial role in promoting and safeguarding the unique products and traditional knowledge of various regions, contributing to rural development, preserving cultural heritage, and enhancing the marketability of Indian products in the global market.

Article 22 (1) of Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) defines GIs as “indications which identify a good as originating in the territory of a member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographic origin”.

In many EU nations, GI is classified in two basic categories Protected GI (PGI) and Protected Destination of Origin (PDO). India only has the PGI category.

This certification is also extended to non-agricultural products, such as handicrafts based on human skills, materials and resources available in certain areas that make the product unique.GI is a powerful tool for protecting traditional knowledge, culture and can boost socio-economic development.

Benefits: It lets approved users stop others from using the indication if their product doesn't meet the standards. A GI tag confers the following rights to the registered proprietors:

• • Legal protection against unauthorised use by others.
  • Exclusive right to use the GI tag for the specified goods or products.
  • Ability to prevent misuse, imitation, or misleading representations of the GI tag.
  • Legal recourse against infringement or unfair competition.

Legal Framework and Governance:

• • GI is governed under the Agreement on TRIPS at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
  • The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
  • Paris Convention emphasises protecting industrial property and geographical indications in Articles 1(2) and 10.

Status of GI Tags Registration:

Compared to other nations, India lags in GI registration. Till December 2023, Intellectual Property India received just 1,167 applications, of which only 547 products have been registered, as per the GI Registry.

Germany leads in GI registrations, with 15,566 registered products, followed by China (7,247), as per 2020 data with the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Globally, wines and spirits comprise 51.8% of registered GIs, followed by agricultural products and foodstuffs at 29.9%.In India, handicraft (about 45%) and agriculture (about 30%) comprise the majority of the GI products.

Concerns Regarding the GI Tags in India:

Concerns with GI Act and Registration Process:The GI Act, 1999 framed over two decades ago, requires timely amendments to address current challenges.Registration forms and application processing times need simplification for easier compliance.

The current application acceptance ratio is only about 46% in India.Lack of suitable institutional development hampers effective implementation of GI protection mechanisms.Producers often struggle post-GI registration due to a lack of guidance and support.

Ambiguity in Producers' Definition:The lack of clarity in defining "producers" in the GI Act of 1999 leads to the involvement of intermediaries.Intermediaries benefit from GIs, diluting the intended advantages for genuine producers.

Disputes at the International Level:Disputes, especially regarding products like Darjeeling teaand Basmati riceindicate that GIs receive less attention compared to patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

Academic Attention:Limited academic focus on GIs is evident, with only seven publications from India.A recent surge in publications indicates growing academic interest, with 35 articles published in 2021.

European nations, such as Italy, Spain, and France, lead in GI-related academic publications.

GI Tag in India

The Geographical Indication Registry, a division of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Department of Industry Promotion and Internal Trade (DIPIT), is responsible for issuing GI tags, further safeguarding these unique products and their geographical origins. The GI tag holds significant importance for India, as it:

• Promotion and protection: It promotes and safeguards the unique products and traditional knowledge of various regions, contributing to rural development and empowerment.
• Marketability and competitiveness: It enhances the credibility/marketability and competitiveness of Indian products in the global market.
• Preservation of cultural heritage: It preserves the cultural heritage and traditional practices associated with the production of these products.
• Prevention of misappropriation: It prevents misappropriation and misuse of traditional knowledge by unauthorized parties.
• Sustainable practices and environmental conservation: It encourages sustainable production practices and environmental conservation in the designated regions.

GI Act of 1999

The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 is the main law in India that oversees the registration and protection of geographical indications. The Act’s key provisions include:

• The establishment of the Geographical Indications Registry, which is responsible for processing and registering GI applications.
• The criteria for registering a GI, include the association between the product and its geographical origin, and the reputation or quality attributable to that origin.
• The duration of protection is initially 10 years but can be renewed indefinitely.
• Provisions for enforcing GI rights, including civil and criminal penalties for infringement.
• Provisions for registering authorised users and associations of producers.

GI Tag as an IPR

Geographical Indications are recognized as a form of intellectual property rights under the TRIPS Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO). As an IPR, GIs:

• Protect the collective rights of producers and communities associated with a particular product.
• Prevent the misuse or misappropriation of a product’s reputation or characteristics by unauthorized parties.
• Contribute to the preservation of traditional knowledge and cultural heritage.
• Promote fair trade practices and sustainable development in rural communities.

State Wise GI Tag Products in India

The GI Registry is located in Chennai processes and registers GI Applications. The tag was first given to Darjeeling Tea. However, GI tags aren’t only for popular products; they exist for hundreds of items across states, each recognizing a specific region and product. The various states' GI tags are as follows:

The first product in India to be accorded with GI tag was Darjeeling Tea in the year 2004-05.

Recently, over 17 products from Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and J&K have received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

IIT Delhi team makes first hi-res landslide risk map for India.

Landslide Susceptibility

• Landslide susceptibility is the likelihood of a landslide occurrence in an area depend on the terrain condition.
• It is an estimate of where landslides will have occurred.
• Relative susceptibility to land sliding is used as a measure of the potential hazard within an area.
• It is applicable to regions with different geomorphologic and vegetation characteristics.

National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (NLSM) programme

• Geological Survey of India has launched and undertook a national programme on landslide susceptibility mapping with an aim to cover the 0.42 million sq. km landslide prone areas of the country.
• This national programme was formally launched in 2014.
• Objectives - To create a dynamic National Landslide Susceptibility Geodatabase for India.
• To prepare GIS based seamless Landslide Susceptibility Maps of India on 1:50,000 scale.
• To prepare a nation-wide repository on GIS-based Landslide Inventory.

The Map

• A landslide susceptibility map identifies areas which are subject to landslides and is measured from low to high.

Landslides are a unique and deadly problem in India and unlike floods, they are less widespread and harder to track and study with satellites.

• The landslide susceptibility map takes into account where the landslides occur and what causes them (slope, soil type and the impact of the flow of water in an area).

The Indian Landslide Susceptibility Map is the first of its kind by virtue of being on a national scale, leaving out no locations in the country.

• Process - Nearly 1.5 lakh landslide events were obtained via the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and other, global sources.
• GeoSadak, an online system that has data on the national road network in India, was particularly helpful in preparing the map, because it displayed data on roads even outside cities.

The fewer trees there are in a place, the closer it is to road-building activity, and the steeper the local slope, the more unstable the place will be and thus more prone to landslides.

• Applications - The map will help the policymakers to assess vulnerability and take appropriate measures for mitigation.
• The map is also expected to be useful for organisations involved in investigating and mitigating landslides, like the GSI, the Ministry of Mines, and the National Disaster Management Authority.
• High risk regions - The map acknowledged some well-known regions of high landslide susceptibility, like parts of the foothills of the Himalaya, the Assam-Meghalaya region, and the Western Ghats.
• It also revealed some previously unknown places with high risk, such as some areas of the Eastern Ghats, just north of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

A cartogram is called a thematic map in which a mapping variable, such as travel time, population, or GNP, is substituted for land area or distance.

10th century Kadamba inscription written in Kannada, Sanskrit found in Goa.

Kadamba Dynasty (345-535 C.E.)

• Extent - The Kadamba dynasty was an ancient Indian dynasty that ruled over parts of South India, particularly the present-day Karnataka region, from the 4th to the 6th centuries CE.
• Founder - The Kadamba dynasty is believed to have been founded by Mayurasharma, who was originally a feudatory of the Pallavas, a prominent dynasty of South India.
• Capital - The early capital of the Kadamba dynasty was Banavasi, located in present-day Karnataka.
• Later, the capital was shifted to Vaijayanti (modern-day Banavasi).
• End - The Kadamba kingdom came to an end with Pulakeshin II’s capture of Banavasi during the reign of Ajavarman.

Kadambas of Goa - They were the subordinates of Chalukyas of Kalyana.

• Chalukyan emperor Tailapa II appointed Kadamba Shasthadeva as mahamandaleshwara of Goa for his help in overthrowing the Rashtrakutas.
• Kadamba Shasthadeva conquered the city of Chandavara from the Shilaharas in 960 A.D and later, he conquered the port of Gopakapattana (present Goa).
• Gundayya, the son of Talara Nevayya, may have participated in this battle, and won the port at the cost of his life.
• His father may have erected a memorial stone with the inscription in the temple of Mahadev of Cacoda to commemorate the heroic fight of his son.

The Inscription

• The inscription was discovered in the Mahadeva temple at Cacoda in southern Goa.
• It is in the literary style of Talangre inscription of Jayasimha I of the same period.
• Message - Talara Nevayya’s son Gundayya having taken a vow to fulfil his father’s desire of capturing a gopura of the port of Goa, fought and died after fulfilling his father’s wish.
• The record is composed as a vocal statement on the death of his son from the mouth of a lamenting father.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is working on the Project Kusha to operationally deploy its own long-range air defense system by 2028-29.

Aim – To develop India’s own Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (LR-SAM)

Jointly developed with - Israel Aerospace Industries, Israel’s major aerospace and aviation manufacturers

Ranges - Hit hostile targets at 150 km, 250 km, and 350 km ranges.

Project Kusha:

• 'Project Kusha' is set to provide the Indian Air Force (IAF) with a long-range air defence system, with deployment targeted for 2028-29.
• The ambitious indigenous project will be developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at an estimated budget of Rs 21,700 crore.
• Drawing parallels with Israel's renowned Iron Dome system, 'Project Kusha' is expected to not only match but potentially surpass the capabilities of its Israeli counterpart.
• It aims to detect and destroy various hostile targets, including cruise missiles, stealth fighter jets, and drones at extended ranges.

Key Features:

• The long-range surface-to-air defence system (LR-SAM) incorporates advanced long-range surveillance and fire control radars, which empower the IAF to effectively monitor airspace and fend off enemy threats.
• Interceptor missiles, with ranges of 150 km, 200 km, and 350 km, provide the ability to detect and strike hostile targets at different distances.
• It will also be effective in providing strategic and tactical cover.
• The system reportedly has a single-shot kill chance of at least 80%and over 90% when two missiles are fired after each other.
• The firing units of 'Project Kusha' can seamlessly integrate with the IAF's air command and control system, facilitating coordination with a wide range of military radars.

Features – The LR-SAM system will be a mobile platform equipped with long range surveillance and fire control radars.

• It seeks to establish a formidable 3 layered defense system to detect and destroy incoming stealth fighters, aircraft, drones, cruise missiles and precision-guided munitions.
• It will be made capable of interacting with an integrated command and control system (IACCS), an automated air defence command and control centre used by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The ground systems include Igla, OSA-AK-M, Pechora missiles, Spyder quick-reaction missiles, indigenous Akash area defence missiles and the Barak-8 medium-range SAM systems.

What is Iron Dome?

• It is Israel’s air missile defense systemthat can defend against short-range rockets, intercepting them in the air above the state.
• It is capable of successfully handling multiple rockets at a time.
• Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, the system became operational in March 2011.
• Features:
• The Iron Dome functions by detecting, analysing, and intercepting varieties of targets such as mortars, rockets, and artillery.
• It is powered by missile-defense batteries.
• It has all-weather capabilitiesand is able to function night or day.
• It is able to launch a variety of interceptor missiles.
• It is designed to shoot down missiles with a range of about 40 miles or less.
• It must be reloaded continuously to intercept incoming missiles.

• Defence Minister recently inaugurated the Samvid Gurukulam Girls Sainik School, the 1^st all-girls Sainik School, at Vrindavan in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
• Sainik Schools are residential schools that provide public school education with a military bias.

They are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and are supported by Central and State funding.

• 1^st edition of Exercise Desert Cyclone held recently in Rajasthan.
• It is a Joint Military Exercise between India & UAE.

Aim – To focus on enhancing interoperability and sharing best practices in Urban Operations.