Union DONER Minister G. Kishan Reddy today said that as of now, there is no proposal for recommending Kongthong known as ‘Whistling Village’ of Meghalaya as a geographical indication.
A geographical indication is a sign used to indicate that a product has a specific geographical origin and possesses a certain reputation or qualities due to that place of origin. A geographical indication typically includes the name of the place of origin.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, Reddy also said that two geographical applications – Khasi Mandarin and Memong Narang have been registered from Meghalaya.
Khasi Mandarin or Khasi oranges are somewhat larger than a tennis ball. They are bright orange in color, quite hard to peel, while on the inside, there is a sweet, aromatic juice.
Memong Narang, or the Wild Orange, is found only in Nokrek National Park in West Garo Hills. Scientifically known as Citrus Indica, this variety is found only in this region of the world.
Meanwhile, the minister also informed that as on April 4, the Office of Geographical Indications Registry has registered 35 geographical indications applications from the North East region.
