Page 11 - EDII Report-137

Awarded GI Certificate to Surat Cut (Diamond);

Secured GI Tagging for 5 Crafts,

Several More in the Process…

EDII continues to strengthen its efforts towards protecting traditional crafts and promoting
artisan livelihoods through Geographical Indication (GI) facilitation and intellectual property
awareness initiatives. As part of these efforts, EDII hosted a two-day Intellectual Property
Rights (IPR) outreach programme titled IP Yatra under the MSME Intellectual Property
Facilitation Centre (MSME IPFC) scheme supported by the Ministry of Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises, Government of India during March 13-14, 2026. The event, organized
in association with the IP Promotion Outreach Foundation (IPPO), brought together more
than 500 stakeholders from across India, including MSMEs, startups, innovators, artisans,
academicians and industry representatives.

The event was inaugurated by Tmt. G. Latha, IAS, Commissioner, Entrepreneurship
Development and Innovation Institute - Tamil Nadu (EDII-TN), along with Mr. Jatin Trivedi,
Managing Partner, Y. J. Trivedi & Co. and Mr. Rajesh Kumar, Assistant Director, MSME
Development & Facilitation Office (DFO), Ahmedabad.

Hon'ble Cabinet Minister,

Shri Arjun Modhwadia In her keynote address, Tmt. G. Latha, IAS, citing an example
was the Chief Guest at of 'neem' and highlighting a global patent dispute, said, “In
1995, a US-based company patented neem, although the
Empresario inaugural Ceremony usage of neem as an antiseptic, dates back to thousands of

years, in India. Yet, since we did not have the awareness
towards protecting our knowledge, somebody else took
the advantage. Waking up to the significance of patents,
India fought the case for almost ten years before the patent
was revoked. Hence, to safeguard our knowledge and
legacy, patenting is important.”

A key highlight of the event was Geographical Indication (GI) Regional Meet. On this
occasion, Dr. Unnat Pandit, Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM),
DPIIT, Government of India, awarded the GI Certificate for 'Surat Cut (Diamond)' to Mr.
Jagdishbhai Khunt, President of the Surat Diamond Association, along with other
association members. The Surat Diamond industry plays a crucial role in the global diamond
Empresario market and is known to produce around 90% of India's polished diamonds, marking a
culminated with a significant milestone in recognizing the region's craftsmanship and heritage under the GI
framework.
concert by noted singer
Mr. Madhur Sharma