Uttar Pradesh leads in India with the highest number of GI-Tagged items.

The famous ‘Tirangi Barfi’ of Kashi, a tricoloured sweet, was sold by freedom fighters during the Quit India Movement as a symbol of unity. Recently, the GI Registry awarded certification to the Banaras Tirangi Barfi and five other products from Uttar Pradesh, solidifying the state’s position as having the most GI-tagged products in India, with a total of 75.

Tamil Nadu follows with 58 GI products. Other products certified in Uttar Pradesh include Banaras Metal Casting Craft, Lakhimpur Kheri Tharu Embroidery, Bareilly Cane and Bamboo Craft, Bareilly Zardozi Craft, and Pilkhuwa Hand Block Print Textile.

Rajnikant, a GI expert and general secretary of the Human Welfare Association, stated that two renowned products from Varanasi – the Tirangi Barfi and Metal Casting Craft – were granted GI certification. He also mentioned that these six GI tags were supported by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow office.

Rajnikant highlighted that this achievement solidifies UP’s position as the leading state in GI products and emphasized that GI tags have been secured for 148 producers across 14 states and Union Territories, including those in the Northeast, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh. Notably, in 2008-09, the state had only one GI product, the ‘Allahabad Surkha Amrood’.

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