UPSC Prelims 2015 · Question 99 of 98

UPSC Prelims 2015 question on Geographical Indication Status

Which of the following has/have been accorded 'Geographical Indication' status?

1. Banaras Brocades and Sarees
2. Rajasthani Dal-Bati-Churma
3. Tirupati Laddu

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: C. 1 and 3 only

Verdict

The answer is 1 and 3 only. Banaras brocades and sarees and Tirupati laddu hold Geographical Indication status; Rajasthani dal-bati-churma does not.

Analysis

Statement 1 is CORRECT. Banaras brocades and sarees received GI registration, protecting the handloom weaving tradition of the Varanasi region. Statement 3 is CORRECT. The Tirupati laddu was granted GI status, and the registration was tested through a series of litigations that kept it in the news. Statement 2 is INCORRECT. Dal-bati-churma is a widely prepared Rajasthani dish but has no registered Geographical Indication, and a generic regional cuisine is difficult to tie to a defined origin and producer.

Source

Business Line report on the Tirupati laddu GI, with reporting on Banarasi textiles.

How to crack it

A Geographical Indication requires a defined geographical origin, a specific quality attributable to that origin, and an identifiable body of producers. A home cooked dish made across a whole State fails all three, which lets you reject statement 2 by definition rather than by checking the register. Apply that three part test to any GI question. The news hooks here were the Prime Minister's Varanasi association and the laddu litigation, which is why both surfaced together.

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