She receives GI certificates for Tangail sari, two other products

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has received the Geographical Indication (GI) certificates for three renowned Bangladeshi products-Tangail sari, Narsingdi's Sagar bananas, and Gopalganj's rosogolla, reports bdnews24.com.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun and Secretary Zakia Sultana handed over the certificates to the premier at the start of a cabinet meeting at her office on Sunday.

These certificates recognise the unique geographical origin and qualities of these products. Afterwards, Hasina also unveiled the cover of Science and Technology Minister Yeafes Osman's poetry book 'Pitarai Pratichchabi'.

The Directorate of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT) has also published a gazette on the GI status of the three products.

It came amid a whirlwind of controversy after India's ministry of industries received GI recognition for a sari named 'Tangail Sari of Bengal', with the approval of the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

In a Facebook post, the Indian Ministry of Culture asserted that the Tangail sari originated in West Bengal, a claim that contradicts the sari's deep-rooted association with Bangladesh.

The move sparked a backlash in Bangladesh, with sari merchants, legal experts, and rights advocates questioning how India could claim the GI recognition for the Tangail sari, given that Tangail is a region in Bangladesh and the handloom sari is a distinctly Bangladeshi product.

In response to the controversy, Bangladesh's government agencies took action, with the Tangail district administration submitting a GI recognition application for the sari on Feb 6. The application was subsequently approved and officially gazetted by the DPDT.