Department of Handicrafts and Handloom, Kashmir, has been conferred with the prestigious SKOCH Award for its innovative GI QR Code Management System, implemented through the Pashmina Testing & Quality Certification Centre (PTQCC) at the Craft Development Institute (CDI) and the NABL-accredited Carpet Testing Laboratory at IICT, Srinagar.
The award recognizes the department’s pioneering use of technology to strengthen product authenticity, quality assurance, sustainability and artisan welfare in the handicrafts sector.
In a statement issued here today, a spokesperson of the department said, “The GI QR Code Management System is among the country’s first comprehensive QR code-based Geographical Indication (GI) certification mechanisms for handicrafts”.
The award was received by Sajid Nazir, Senior Faculty, CDI, on behalf of the Department at a ceremony in New Delhi.
The award-winning system enables buyers to instantly verify the authenticity, origin and quality of products such as Pashmina and Kani shawls, Sozni embroidery, hand-knotted carpets and other GI registered crafts. By scanning the QR code, consumers can trace a product back to the artisan or institution that created it, ensuring transparency and preventing counterfeiting.
