Hyderabad: Violations of norms devalue Geographical Indication tag

Hyderabad: ‘Hyderabadi haleem’ got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2010, which makes the delicacy exclusive to Hyderabad. According to GI norms, in no other place in the world can haleem be made and sold as ‘Hyderabadi haleem’.

However, ‘Hyderabadi haleem’ is prepared and sold across many cities like New Delhi and Chennai. Blatant flouting of GI norms is common in India, making the GI tag just another title with no special significance. GI norms are respected by manufacturers and the exclusivity is maintained in Europe and other developed nations, says Mr Ravi S., an intellectual property rights practitioner.

“In Switzerland, there are more than a dozen cheese varieties with the GI tag. If you buy those cheese varieties anywhere in the world you will see that it has been manufactured only in that region. So is the case with French cognac,” he said.

“The GI tag can become just another title depending on how efficiently the geographic exclusivity is being exploited,” he said.

Similarly, Bobbili veena of Andhra Pradesh got the GI tag in 2011. But the artisans of the small town of Bobbili in Vizianagaram are not getting the benefits as the jackfruit tree from which the veena is made is not available easily at affordable rates. Besides, demand for the Bobbili veena is also going down.