Gaya: Tilkut, a famous sweet from Gaya that is more than 100 years old, is expected to receive a geographical indication (GI) tag within the next three months.Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar said on Friday that the required documentation and procedural formalities had been submitted to the GI registry office through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard). “The GI tag will enhance tilkut’s national and international recognition and improve marketing opportunities for local producers and artisans,” Kumar said.Laljee Prasad, president of the Gaya district tilkut manufacturers and sellers association and acting president of the Bihar rajya mishthanna bhojan vikreta sangh, said, “Efforts to secure the GI tag for tilkut began in 2017, initially with the state art and culture department. Nabard has been pursuing the process for the past five years.”He added, “Gaya DM Shashank Shubhankar had also taken a keen interest in the initiative and forwarded the application to the Bihar Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (Bipard). Research conducted by Bipard at Sinha Library in Patna and the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) library established that tilkut’s history in the region dates back more than 100 years.”More than 5,000 people are engaged in tilkut production in Gaya district, which has over 250 shops selling the sweet. Ramna Road and Tekari Road in Gaya town, Dangara in Mohanpur block and Tekari are among the major tilkut production centres.“During winter, the sweet is supplied to Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. Besides its medicinal significance, tilkut also holds religious and social importance. If consumed during winter for its warming properties, it is also a traditional gift that people from Gaya carry when visiting family and friends in other places,” Prasad said.“The government should grant domestic industry status to tilkut manufacturing and provide low-interest loans and sugar and sesame at subsidised rates. Developing national and international markets, particularly in regions that remain cool throughout the year, would ensure year-round employment for workers,” Prasad said.
