MP Basmati rice to 'kadaknath' chicken: How tough it is to get a GI tag

The GI Registry on March 15 rejected the Madhya Pradesh government's claim over GI tag for basmati rice

Be it ‘Basmati Rice’, or ‘Darjeeling Tea’ or ‘Hyderabadi Biryani’, getting a Geographical Indication tag (GI) for items exclusive to India has been a contentious issue.

Though Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection Act), enacted in 2003, has brought the much-needed transparency and clarity into the entire field, a lot of confusion and complications still remain, say experts. These originate primarily due to lack of quality control once the tag is obtained and also limited hand-holding prior to applications being made to the Registrar, leading to half-baked attempts to seek a GI certification. 

Darjeeling tea became the first GI-tagged