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GS-III : Economic Issues GI Tag

15 November, 2022
5 Min Read

Pashmina Shawl

Customs officials recently voiced complaints over the presence of "Shahtoosh" guard hair, which comes from endangered Tibetan antelopes, in Pashmina shawls in many of their export shipments.

Describe Pashmina.

Pashmina is a type of wool with a Geographical Indication (GI) label that originates in the Indian state of Kashmir.
In the past, the Kashmiri people relied on Pashmina shawls to keep them warm in the winter.
The word "Pashmina" derives from the Persian word "Pashm," which refers to a weaveable fibre, specifically wool.
Due to the high quality of the wool used and the labour-intensive process required to make each individual piece, pashmina shawls are quite expensive.
Depending on the sort of work required, weaving a single Pashmina shawl takes a long time. One shawl typically takes up to 72 hours to finish.
Source: The Changthangi goats (Capra Hircus), domesticated in Ladakh, are the source of the wool needed to weave Pashmina shawls.
Fibre processing: The Changpa tribes of Ladakh, who care for the Changthangi goats, gather the raw Pashm.
The Changpa are a semi-nomadic group that live in Changthang, which is located in the Ladakh and Tibet Autonomous Region.
According to the Affirmative action reservation Program of the Indian Government, the Changpa were categorised as a Scheduled Tribe as of 2001.
The only individuals that connect the Changpa tribe with the Kashmiris are the middlemen, from whom the Kashmiri weavers purchase the filthy raw pashm fibre.
The fibre is subsequently combed and separated based on fineness.
Then it is handspun, prepared into warps, and positioned on the handloom.
The gorgeous, opulent pashmina shawls for which the fabric is famous are then created by hand weaving the yarn.
In Kashmir, weaving Pashmina shawls is a craft that is traditionally passed down from one generation to the next.

Significance:

One of the world's finest and highest-quality wools is pashmina.
The Pashmina Shawl caught the interest of people from all over the world, making it one of the most sought-after shawls worldwide.
The local economy was helped by its high demand.
Manufacturers frequently adulterate Pashmina with sheep wool or ultra-fine merino wool due to its limited availability and expensive price.
An Indian Standard for the identification, marking, and labelling of Pashmina items to confirm their purity was released by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in 2019.
GI Certifying Criteria for Pashmina:
100% genuine Pashm should be used to make the shawl.
The fibres should have a maximum fineness of 16 microns.
Local Kashmiri weavers should handcraft the shawl.
Only by hand should the yarn be spun.

Source: The Hindu

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