Surat Cut Diamond GI Tag Sparks Pride in India’s Gems
EDII Helps Surat Cut (Diamond) Obtain a GI Certificate; it has Obtained GI Labelling for Five Crafts and is working on Numerous more.
By facilitating Geographical Indications (GIs) and raising awareness of intellectual property, the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad, keeps up its efforts to preserve traditional crafts and support artisan livelihoods. As part of these initiatives, on March 13–14, 2026, EDII organised a two-day Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) outreach program called IP Yatra under the MSME Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre (MSME IPFC) scheme, which is funded by the Indian government’s Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. More than 500 stakeholders from all around India attended the event, which was organised in collaboration with the IP Promotion Outreach Foundation (IPPO). These stakeholders included MSMEs, startups, inventors, artisans, academics, industry representatives, and craftspeople.
Smt. G. Latha, IAS, Commissioner of the Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute-Tamil Nadu (EDII-TN), Jatin Trivedi, Managing Partner of Y. J. Trivedi & Co., and Rajesh Kumar, Assistant Director of the MSME Development & Facilitation Office (DFO), Ahmedabad, officially opened the event. Smt. G. Latha, IAS, Commissioner, Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute – Tamil Nadu (EDII-TN), used the example of “neem” to highlight a global patent dispute during her keynote speech. She stated, “In 1995, a US-based company patented neem, although the usage of neem as an antiseptic dates back thousands of years, in India.” However, someone else exploited us since we were unaware of the need to safeguard our expertise. Realising the importance of patents, before the patent was withdrawn, India battled the matter for nearly ten years. Therefore, patenting is crucial to protecting our expertise and heritage.
The Geographical Indication (GI) Regional Meet was a major event highlight. This time, Jagdishbhai Khunt, President of the Surat Diamond organisation, and other organisation members received the GI Certificate for “Surat Cut (Diamond)” from Dr Unnat Pandit, Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM), DPIIT, Government of India. Approximately 90% of India’s polished diamonds are produced by the Surat diamond industry, which is vital to the world diamond market and represents a major turning point in the GI framework’s recognition of the region’s skill and legacy.
Additionally, Dr Pandit granted GI Authorised User Certificates to traditional craftspeople. 34 authorised users of Mata ni Pachhedi, represented by Bhanubhai Chitara, and 57 authorised users of Tangaliya Shawl, represented by Lavjibhai Parmar, were recognised for their services to the preservation and promotion of these distinctive traditional crafts. “India is home to a rich repository of knowledge, based on years of practice in multiple fields,” Dr Pandit stated during his speech. Promoting and safeguarding the concepts and procedures involved at the appropriate time is crucial. The social and economic well-being of our producers and artisans is greatly enhanced by GI facilitation. I’m glad we’re actively
GI registration for traditional crafts and goods has been extensively supported by EDII. Gujarat Suf Embroidery, Ahmedabad Sodagari Block Print, Bharuch Sujani Weaving, Surat Sadeli Craft, and Surat Cut (Diamond) are the five crafts for which the Institute has so far enabled GI tagging. Additionally, the Institute has started GI tagging fifteen Gujarati crafts and agricultural items under MSME IPFC, which are presently undergoing advanced processing.
Additionally, EDII has built a Regional Geographical Indication (GI) Facilitation Centre on its campus, which is financed by NABARD, to enhance support for producer groups and craftsmen. The Centre was founded to assist artisans, producer organisations, and business owners throughout the state. It is the first of its sort in Gujarat. The centre has made almost Rs. 3 lakh in total sales. In the past six months, giving craftspeople access to more favourable market prospects.
Dr Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII, made the following statement regarding patenting and GI tagging: “Filing patents plays a crucial role in the journey of protecting our rich knowledge and tradition.” For ideas to have an influence on social and economic well-being, ideation must lead to invention, and innovation must lead to commercialisation. Geographical Indications (GI) are a crucial instrument for product protection.
Additionally, the IP Yatra included expert-led sessions designed to raise entrepreneurs’ and innovators’ knowledge and comprehension of intellectual property rights. Nilesh Pandit, Lead (IPR-Patents), Tata Consultancy Services, and Neha Verma, General Counsel, Puniska Group, led the workshops. They discussed patent strategy, IP protection, Brand to Asset, and the significance of utilising intellectual property for corporate expansion.