Bhubaneswar, Aug. 2: The Odisha government has finally shifted its focus on getting the geographical indication (GI) for rasgulla.

An eight-member committee has been finalised to hasten the application process for the age-old sweet of the state.

The panel consists of members from the Odisha's industries, science and technology, agriculture and the culture departments. The industries department's additional director has been appointed as the convener of the panel.

A meeting was hosted today to chalk out the modalities of the process. "They will approach the Central Tool Room & Training Centre (CTTC) to prepare a roadmap for GI tag application," said industries director Niranjan Sahu.

"We have set a target, and we are quit confident of meeting the requirements within the stipulated time. Once we have accumulated the necessary documents, we will apply for the tag," said a senior oindustries department official.

Steps have been initiated to set up a cluster at Pahala along National Highway No. 5 between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Around Rs 8 crore will be allocated for the project that includes setting up of a common facility centres to bring the Pahala rasgulla sellers under one roof. A committee had been formed in 2015 to come out with evidences to prove that rasgulla had its origin in Odisha. The committee, which is headed by Jagannath cult scholar Asit Mohanty, had submitted its interim report in September 2015.

In its final 100-page report to the government in July last year, the committee cited several references to stake claim to the origin of the sweet.

The state had initiated the process to obtain the GI tag for Pahala rasgulla in May 2015. But, the process got delayed after the Bengal government stepped in to stake its claim over the sweet's origin.

The GI indication would confer legal protection to the Odisha rasgulla, along with preventing its unauthorised use. The first item from Odisha that received the GI tag was the Kotpad handloom fabric.