Unity mall in Tamil Nadu will boost handicraft products – Times of India

CHENNAI: The announcement of establishing Unity Mall will not only help promote local handicraft products within the state, but also enable artisans and craftsmen from Tamil Nadu to exhibit their products throughout the country. The facility will be an added attraction for tourists exploring Tamil Nadu, which records one of the highest footfalls of domestic and international travellers.
In her budget speech on Wednesday, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “States will be encouraged to set up a Unity Mall in their state capital or most prominent tourism centre or the financial capital for promotion and sale of their own one district one product (ODOP), GI products and other handicraft products and for providing space for such products of all other States. ”
While the move will enhance cooperation between state governments to promote their handicraft products in another state, the common man will get an opportunity to witness most of the ODOP of Tamil Nadu under roof in the Unity Mall.
P Sanjai Gandhi, president of IPR Attorney Association and nodal officer Geographical Indications registered products of Tamil Nadu said, the development will help in a big way to promote GI tagged products fromTamil Nadu in other states. “Though Tamil Nadu has 47 GI tagged products, only a few such as Kancheepuram silk sarees are popular across the country and overseas. So, this offers an opportunity for exhibiting more GI tagged products that are popular within a district or region in Tamil Nadu in other states,” he said.
Official sources with Tamilnadu Handicrafts Development Corporation (TNHDC) said, the Unity Mall may come up in multi-storey building to provide adequate space for ODOP, GI products, handicraft products and for exhibiting similar products of other states. “State governments could enter into mutual agreements to allocate space in the Unity Malls for their respective products in another state,” a TNHDC official said.