ODOP Initiative Should Become Driver Of Tourism Growth: S Jaishankar
The products which have been identified under the programme include coffee from Araku; Shopian apples and honey from Bathinda.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said the ODOP initiative has the potential to drive the growth of the tourism sector which in turn will push employment generation.
The ODOP (one district one product) initiative is aimed at selecting, branding, and promoting one product from each district of the country.
It is also aimed at creating sustainable employment at the district level while promoting holistic socio-economic development. The initiative has a โstrong impact on tourismโฆI expect the ODOP to actually translate into a stronger tourism in the years to come and tourism is a powerful driver of employmentโฆODOP, can, is and should become a more powerful driver of tourism,โ he said.
The minister said this while felicitating winners of the national โOne District One Productโ awards during the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Utsav celebration here.
Jaishankar added that while making in India is โveryโ crucial, branding and promotion of products are important as it helps in increasing demand.
โODOP has been a great promotor of what has been made across the country, he said adding Geographical Indicators (GI) today are one of the big areas of competition.
GI is actually a โvery powerfulโ part of branding and that ODOP will definitely provide, he said.
The products which have been identified under the programme include coffee from Araku; Shopian apples and honey from Bathinda.
On exports, the minister said that both foreign affairs and commerce ministries are working together along with Indian missions to boost the countryโs outbound shipments.
The government mainly gifts ODOP products to foreign delegates.
