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Odisha Govt forms committee to apply for GI tag for Rasagola

Odisha government formed an 8-member committee to finalise the process to apply for Geographical Indication (GI) status for Rasagola.

The eight-member panel headed by Industry Director and comprising of two from Science & Technology department, one from Industry, Culture, Agriculture departments and OUAT as members will look into the process to apply for the GI status for Rasagola. The Additional Director of Industry department has been appointed as the convener of the committee.

The ongoing war between Odisha and its neighbouring state West Bengal for patent over Rasagola had started two years ago. The Bengal government has already applied for the GI status for Rasagola with the National Biodiversity Authority to claim Rasagola had its origins in the state.

Both West Bengal and Odisha governments are claiming that their respective state is the place of origin of Rasagola, which is made from Indian cottage cheese.

Earlier, Odisha government had asked its Science and Technology department to apply for the patent as well as the GI tag for the syrupy delicacy. A committee set by the department conducted thorough research on origin of Rasagola and finally concluded that the sweet had its origins in Odisha.

Besides, the state government has decided to set up a Rasagola cluster at Pahala, on outskirt of Bhubaneswar, allocating Rs 7.70 crore to get GI status for Pahala Rasagola. Although, a common facility centre will come up at Pahala, the land is yet to be identified for the project.

The industry department has decided to select land near Pahala, around 4-5 km away from the location. After indentifying the land, we will discuss with the IDCO for land possession for the project, said a senior official in the department.

ALSO READ: Rasagola originated 600 years ago in Odisha

Rasagola in Odisha image

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