Rayagada: Authorities will apply for the Geographical Indicator (GI) tag for the hand-woven shawls by the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), Dongria Kondh, of the district.

Rayagada collector Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar said: "The art of weaving the shawls is unique, and it has been decided to apply for the GI tag for this rare tribal handicraft."

"Making these shawls is a time-consuming process and has to be done with utmost precision. In a month, one can weave only three to four shawls," said Sindhe Wadeka, a weaver belonging to the Dongria Kondh community.

Wadeka said that only four colours of thread were used in knitting the shawl - green signifying biodiversity, red for religious belief, yellow for peace and brown symbolises the local goddesses. "Our culture and tradition reflect in our shawls. The shawls are made in various sizes and used to cover our body," she said.

However, with the passage of time, there have been significant changes in the dress pattern of the tribal people, and the use of these shawls has declined in the recent times. The administration has decided to enhance the production of the product and its quality. It has imparted training to at least 100 women of the community from October 2017 through a special programme.

An official said that during the training programme the women were imparted training to weave these shawls in various designs. The trained villagers will work as master trainers and train other women of their community, said an official.

"It has been decided to prepare a detailed project report to enhance the production of the shawls, increase its quality and create a market for it. We want to create a national market for the product in collaboration with the handloom department. The product's originality will be maintained and no machines will be used in making it. Efforts are on to use the embroidery designs of the shawls on bags and mobile cover to popularise the art," the collector said.