Daily Static Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
Under the GI Act, 1999, a registered GI is valid for 10 years and is renewable indefinitely for successive 10-year periods, similar to trademark renewal. Option (a) wrongly states the validity period as 5 years rather than 10, and option (b) is incorrect since a GI tag does not grant exclusive monopoly to one producer — it allows all eligible producers within the defined geographical region to use the tag. Option (d) understates the scope, since GI tags in India cover agricultural goods, natural goods, manufactured goods, handicrafts, and foodstuffs, a broad category rather than one limited to agriculture and handicrafts alone.
- Thooyamalli Rice — Tamil Nadu
- Ker Sangri — Rajasthan
- Monpa Handmade Paper — Arunachal Pradesh
- Palani Panchamirtham — Kerala
Three of the four pairs are correctly matched. Thooyamalli Rice is a traditional aromatic rice variety from Tamil Nadu known for its slender grain and fragrance, Ker Sangri is the iconic desert vegetable preparation of Rajasthan made from ker berries and sangri beans native to the Thar region, and Monpa Handmade Paper, or Shugpa paper, is a traditional craft of the Monpa tribe of Arunachal Pradesh made from the Daphne plant. Palani Panchamirtham, the sacred prasad of the Palani Murugan temple, actually belongs to Tamil Nadu rather than Kerala, a classic state-attribution trap worth watching for in GI questions.
A GI tag's core legal function is preventing misuse of the regional name by non-eligible producers and signalling authenticity, which enables premium pricing in domestic and export markets. Option (a) is incorrect since GI tags confer no duty-free export privileges, as trade tariffs are governed separately under WTO rules, and option (b) is wrong because GI and UNESCO heritage status are entirely separate systems with different criteria and processes. Option (c) misstates the mechanism, since a GI tag allows all eligible producers within the defined region to use the tag rather than creating a single-producer monopoly.
- Darjeeling Tea was the first product in India to receive a GI tag, in 2004.
- India has the highest number of GI-tagged products in Asia.
- The Wine and Spirits category has the highest number of GI registrations globally under TRIPS.
- The Geographical Indications Registry of India is located in Chennai.
Statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct, while Statement 2 is wrong. Darjeeling Tea received India's first GI tag in 2004 under the GI Act, 1999, which came into force in 2003, wines and spirits globally enjoy the strongest GI protections under TRIPS, reflecting European lobbying for products like Champagne, Cognac, Scotch Whisky, and Bordeaux, and the Geographical Indications Registry is located in Chennai, under the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks. China actually holds the largest number of GI registrations in Asia, and while India's count of 700-plus is significant, it is not definitively the highest in Asia.
Reason (R): The EU has a large portfolio of regionally identified products — such as Champagne, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Prosciutto di Parma — whose commercial value depends on preventing imitation products from using those names globally.
Both A and R are correct, and R directly explains A. The EU has been the most vocal advocate for extending GI protections in TRIPS negotiations, pushing for Article 23-level protection to cover all categories beyond wines and spirits, and this negotiating position is directly driven by its enormous economic stake in protecting iconic regional products. The commercial premium associated with names like Champagne and Parmigiano-Reggiano is precisely why the EU fights their global dilution, making R the direct causal explanation for the EU's stance described in A.
