Blogs by Kumar Biswas: December 2021

Special Cover of District Gautam Buddh Nagar - Front

India is the seventh-largest country in the world, and it has 28 states and 8 Union Territories. Uttar Pradesh is the fourth-largest state in the country, with an area of 240,928 square kilometres (93,023 square miles). It is also one of the most populous states, with a population of 19.96 crores (0.1996 billion), as per Census 2011. The population of the state is nearly equal to that of the entire country of Brazil. There are a total of 75 districts in the whole state. Each of the districts of Uttar Pradesh is famous for some kind or other indigenous traditional craft or skill. Some of them have a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. This GI certification means that those products or crafts are specific to those respective regions of Uttar Pradesh.

Special Cover of District Gautam Buddh Nagar - Reverse

It was observed that over the years, these traditional local arts have suffered from a dearth of patronage. Traditional skills, which are passed on from one generation to another, are losing charm and slowly dying.

In January 2018, ‘One District, One Product’ (ODOP), a flagship scheme to create awareness and increase popularity of these products, was launched in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. The objectives of ODOP are not only to preserve them but also to promote them worldwide. Through ODOP, such traditional skills have been given a boost, not only to survive but to thrive too. The scheme is also aimed at training 75,000 women in the state.

The objectives are manifold:

1) Preservation and development of local crafts/skills and promotion of the art.

2) Increase in the incomes and local employment (resulting in decline in migration for employment).

3) Improvement in product quality and skill development.

4) Transforming the products in an artistic way (through packaging, branding).

5) To connect the production with tourism (live demo and sales outlet – gifts and souvenir).

6) To resolve the issues of economic difference and regional imbalance.

7) To take the concept of ODOP to national and international level after successful implementation at State level.

(Source: http://www.odopup.in/)

District wise map of Uttar Pradesh (Courtesy: veethi.com)

Here is the list of the districts in the state, along with the district specific products under ODOP (within parenthesis), in alphabetical order:-

1. Agra (Leather Products)

2. Aligarh (Locks & Hardware)

3. Ambedkar Nagar (Textile Products)

4. Amethi (Moonj Products)

5. Amroha (Musical Instruments)

6. Auraiya (Food Processing - Desi Ghee)

7. Ayodhya (Jaggery)

8. Azamgarh (Black Pottery)

9. Badaun (Zari Zardozi)

10. Baghpat (Home Furnishings)

11. Bahraich (Wheat-Stalk Handicrafts)

12. Balarampur (Food Processing - Pulses)

13. Ballia (Bindi / Tikuli)

14. Banda (Shazar Stone Craft)

15. Barabanki (Textile Products)

16. Bareilly (Zari Zardozi)

17. Basti (Wood Craft)

18. Bhadohi (Carpet / Dari)

19. Bijnor (Wood Craft)

20. Bulandshahar (Ceramic Product)

21. Chandauli (Zari Zardozi)

22. Chitrakoot (Wooden Toys)

23. Deoria (Decorative Products)

24. Etah (Ankle Bells / Ghungroo, Bells and Brass Products)

25. Etawah (Textile Products)

26. Farrukhabad (Textile Printing)

27. Fatehpur (Bedsheets and Iron Fabrication Works)

28. Firozabad (Glassware)

29. Gautam Buddha Nagar (Readymade Garments)

30. Ghaziabad (Engineering Goods)

31. Ghazipur (Jute Wall Hanging)

32. Gonda (Food Processing - Pulses)

33. Gorakhpur (Terracotta)

34. Hamirpur (Shoes)

35. Hapur (Home Furnishing)

36. Hardoi (Handloom)

37. Hathras (Hing / Asafoetida)

38. Jalaun (Handmade Paper Art)

39. Jaunpur (Woollen Carpets / Dari)

40. Jhansi (Soft Toys)

41. Kannauj (Perfume - Attar)

42. Kanpur Dehat (Aluminium Utensils)

43. Kanpur Nagar (Leather Products)

44. Kasganj (Zari Zardozi)

45. Kaushambi (Food Processing - Banana)

46. Kushinagar (Banana Fiber Products)

47. Lakhimpur Kheri (Tribal Craft)

48. Lalitpur (Zari Silk Sarees)

49. Lucknow (Chikankari & Zari Zardozi)

50. Maharajganj (Furniture)

51. Mahoba (Gaura Stone Craft)

52. Mainpuri (Tarkashi Art)

53. Mathura (Sanitary Fittings)

54. Mau (Powerloom Textile)

55. Meerut (Sports Products)

56. Mirzapur (Carpets)

57. Moradabad (Metal Craft)

58. Muzaffarnagar (Jaggery)

59. Pilibhit (Flute)

60. Pratapgarh (Aamla Products)

61. Prayagraj (Moonj Products)

62. Raebareli (Wood Work)

63. Rampur (Applique work along with Patch Work, Zari Patchwork)

64. Saharanpur (Wood Crafting)

65. Sambhal (Handicraft from Horn and Bones)

66. Sant Kabir Nagar (Brassware Craft)

67. Shahjahanpur (Zari Zardozi)

68. Shamli (Iron Arts)

69. Shravasti (Tribal Craft)

70. Siddharthnagar (Kala Namak Rice)

71. Sitapur (Carpet / Dari))

72. Sonbhadra (Carpets)

73. Sultanpur (Moonj Products)

74. Unnao (Zari Zardozi)

75. Varanasi (Banarasi Silk Saree)

On 29 Sept 2021, on a single day, 75 number of Special Covers, one each on these 75 districts’ products, were released in one go. Those were issued by Yogi Adityanath, hon'ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, in presence of Kaushalendra Kumar Sinha, Chief Postmaster General, Uttar Pradesh Circle, India Post and other dignitaries at Lucknow, the capital of State of Uttar Pradesh. Each of the Special Covers have featured one speciality of handicraft of one district. The district specific Special Covers were also released at the headquarters of respective districts. In the history of Special Covers of India, possibly this is the first occasion when such record number (75) of Special Covers were issued on a single day at 75 locations, simultaneously.

A newspaper clipping

On the occasion of release of Special Covers, Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India had stated -

“The identity of Uttar Pradesh is famous on the world stage for the fine art of its skilled craftsmen. Chikankari of Lucknow, brass utensils of Moradabad, Locks of Aligarh, etc., each district has been known of a particular product. Yogi Adityanath ji’s concept of ‘One District, One Product’ will bring special benefits to backward classes, women and youth. Each district will write a new story of development and this will help in removing imbalanced regional development.”

At the release function, Yogi Adityanath, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh had highlighted -

“In schemes like ‘One District, One Product’, many sectors like skill development, co-operatives, cottage industries, employment, rural economy and inclusive economic development are moving towards betterment simultaneously. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy of promoting quality of goods and entrepreneurs will prove to have far-reaching impact on the international stage for India in the coming times.”

Out of 75 Special Covers, incidentally 15 Special Covers featured 15 Geographical Indication (GI) tagged products from 15 districts. In this limited space, it may not be feasible to speak about all 75 Special Covers and their significance. So for illustration purpose, we have taken Gautam Buddh Nagar district as an example.

Autographed by Mr. Pankaj Singh

Pankaj Singh is presently Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of NOIDA Vidhan Sabha, District Gautam Buddha Nagar of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He wrote 'Jai Hind', as the day he put his autograph coincided with 125th birth anniversary (23 Jan 2022) of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the great Indian nationalist. Pankaj Singh is son of Hon'ble Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defense, Government of India.

District Gautam Buddh Nagar of the State of Uttar Pradesh is renowned as a hub of readymade garments (RMG) of northern India. About 3000 garment export firms are based in the district. The readymade garments industry provides job opportunities and livelihood of more than 13 million people, as direct or indirect employment. This is the biggest forex earner district of the state due to export of readymade garments to different parts of the world. As per estimate, out of forex earning of INR 40,000 crore per annum (USD 5.3 billion) by the state, the said district contributes about INR 32,000 crores per annum (USD 4.3 billion, about 80%).

The particular Special Cover for Gautam Buddh District highlights the thriving readymade garments industry of the district. The cover bears a postage stamp of 'The Ambika Jacket' of 'Indian Fashion' series issued in 2020 by India pots.

Kangana Ranaut, ODOP Brand Ambassador & Yogi Adityanath, Hon'ble Chief Minister (Courtesy: Internet)

On 02 Oct 2021, renowned Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut was appointed as Brand Ambassador of ODOP products of Uttar Pradesh. It will not be out of point to mention that on 08 Nov 2021, she was honored with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award by Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Hon’ble President of India.

Kangana Ranaut receiving Padma Shri (Source: Internet)

Since launching in 2018, about 80,000 artisans of the state for different products have enrolled in the scheme. Products are available on various e-commerce platforms, including Amazon.com, Flipkart, eBay etc. An array of nearly 11,000 ODOP products can be booked through Amazon. According to the latest data available, products worth INR 24 Crores have been sold so far.

Business more than USD 0.05 billion in three days

These Special Covers for 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh will take messages to generate interests and awareness of rich heritage of the country all over the world. They will not only revive those traditional arts and handicrafts but also provide them a platform on the world scale to showcase their skills and talents.

Webliography:

http://www.odopup.in/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_districts_of_Uttar_Pradesh

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/75-spl-stamp-covers-for-odop-scheme/articleshow/86629237.cms

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/entertainment/

https://www.educationgyan.com/list-of-gi-tags-all-geographical-indications-tags/

https://www.ibef.org/giofindia/uttarpradesh

Disclaimer:

The information provided in the article is for general informational purposes only. All information is provided in good faith. This is only for the sharing of knowledge of Philately with philatelist fraternity. No commercial angle, whatsoever, is involved. No intention to infringe any type of copyright. Under no circumstances I shall have any liability for reliance on any information provided in the story.

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This article was published in the Dec '2021 issue of popular philatelic e-magazine Ananthapuri Stamp Bulletin (issue no. 70). Here are the scanned pages of the story.