In an unprecedented crackdown to safeguard the authenticity of traditional Kashmir crafts, the Department of Handicrafts and Handloom on Friday issued a stern notice to all registered handicraft dealers, giving them a seven-day deadline to remove all machine-made products—largely imported from Turkey and Iran—from their showrooms.
Failure to comply will result in deregistration and blacklisting under the Jammu & Kashmir Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1978, officials said on Friday.
The notice reminds dealers that they were granted registration under the J&K Tourist Trade Act specifically for the sale of genuine Kashmir handicraft products. As part of the registration process, dealers had submitted sworn affidavits committing to exclusively display and sell authentic local crafts.
“During recent inspections,” the notice states, “several showrooms were found to be in violation of these rules by displaying and selling machine-made products misrepresented as genuine Kashmir handicrafts.”
The department warned that such malpractices severely damage the reputation and credibility of Kashmir’s artisan industry.
An official spokesperson for the department said that penalties have already been imposed on defaulting dealers. “The Director of Handicrafts and Handloom, along with the Director of IICT and the Inspection Squad of the Quality Control Division, conducted surprise inspections at several prominent showroom clusters including Nishat, Nehru Park, and Munawarabad,” he said.
“Dealers found displaying machine-made goods were issued final warnings. Non-compliance will now attract strict action, including deregistration,” he added.
The notice also highlighted increasing concerns about misbranding and misuse of the Geographical Indication (G.I.) label. Several Kashmir handicrafts—including Pashmina shawls, hand-knotted carpets, papier-mâché, and walnut wood carving—are protected under the G.I. Act, registered with the Registry of India, Chennai. To combat counterfeit goods, the department had introduced G.I.-based QR labelling, implemented through PTQCC, IICT, and Quality Control Labs.
However, the department revealed a recent case in which a dealer affixed a fake QR code to a machine-made carpet, fraudulently passing it off as a handmade product. The dealer in question has since been blacklisted and deregistered.
All registered dealers have now been directed to ensure that only genuine handmade Kashmir crafts are sold and displayed in their showrooms. They must also ensure that all G.I. Labelling certificates and related documentation are visibly displayed for inspection.
The notice categorically bans the sale or display of machine-made goods in any showroom registered under the Handicraft or Handloom category. Violations—including tampering with product labels or affixing fake QR codes—will attract punitive action under the J&K Tourist Trade Act, the Quality Control Act, the Geographical Indication Act, and the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita.
The department also issued an advisory to all unregistered dealers and hawkers engaged in the handicrafts trade, urging them to approach the Quality Control Division for registration under the Tourist Trade Act.
The message is clear,” said the official spokesman. “This department will not tolerate any compromise on the integrity of Kashmir’s rich and unique craft heritage,” he added.