Jammu, Apr 3 (IANS): World famous 'Basohli' painting from J&K's Kathua district has obtained the Geographical Indication (GI) tag following approval by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), an official statement said on Monday.

Geographical Indication (GI) is a form of intellectual property right that identifies goods originating from a specific geographical location and having distinct nature, quality and characteristics linked to that location.

The process for GI tagging of nine products from Jammu region was initiated by NABARD in consultation with the Department of Handicrafts and Handloom in December 2020, during the difficult times of the Covid pandemic. The GI tags have now been granted to these products after a long legal process.

Basohli painting of Kathua district is the first independent GI tagged product from the Jammu region. Now, only an authorised user has the exclusive right to use the GI tag in relation to these products.