SRINAGAR: The Department of Handicrafts and Handloom, Kashmir, has received the prestigious SKOCH Award for its GI QR Code Management System, a technology-driven initiative aimed at strengthening authenticity, quality assurance and market credibility of Kashmir’s traditional handicrafts.
The award recognises the department’s innovative use of technology through the Pashmina Testing and Quality Certification Centre (PTQCC) at the Craft Development Institute (CDI) and the NABL-accredited Carpet Testing Laboratory at the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology (IICT), Srinagar.
According to a departmental spokesperson, the GI QR Code Management System is among the country’s first comprehensive QR code-based Geographical Indication (GI) certification mechanisms for handicraft products.
The award was received by Sajid Nazir, Senior Faculty at CDI, on behalf of the department during a ceremony held in New Delhi.
The 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 products back to the artisan or institution that created them, ensuring transparency and helping curb counterfeiting.
Officials said thousands of handicraft products have already been labelled under the initiative, boosting consumer confidence, improving market access and supporting exports.
Congratulating the technical teams of PTQCC and IICT, Director Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir, Mussarat Islam, said the recognition reflects the department’s commitment to preserving Kashmir’s craft heritage through innovation.
He said the QR code system provides artisans with greater visibility and helps connect them directly with buyers in specialised domestic and international markets, thereby improving their economic prospects.
The SKOCH Award is a national recognition honouring initiatives that promote innovation, good governance and inclusive development.
