Silk Mark on saris goes high-tech

Silk Mark Organisation of India (SMOI), a society under the aegis of the Central Silk Board

will soon introduce Silk Mark labels embossed on the saris, T Ganapathi Raman, Assistant Director, SMOI, Bangalore, said. The Silk Mark authenticates the genuineness of the silk saris sold by authorised producers. Presently, the authentication is done by attaching a paper tag with a hologram, on the sari. However, there have been instances of the tag being used on saris made from inferior fabrics like polyester or nylon, which cost hardly Rs 500 per kg or about 10 times less than the cost of silk. In view of this, the new concept has been floated to raise the genuineness of the Silk Mark. Each of such fusion labels would have words ‘promoted by Government of India’ engraved in the hologram.

Besides, there would also be a unique serial number of the manufacturer or the trader. They also intend to start a toll-free helpline number, where customers can call to verify if the serial number actually belongs to that particular trader or manufacturer. According to Raman, Tamil Nadu presently has around 400 authorised producers and traders who use Silk Mark on their products. Twenty-five of these traders or producers are in Chennai, while 70 are in Kancheepuram. The SMOI officials participated in the ‘Know your Silk` awareness programme, organised in collaboration with the Consumers Association of India at Co-optex showroom in Teynampet.