Consulate General of India New York gets prestigious award for exceptional achievements

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The Consulate General of India in New York was among the three Indian Missions to receive the prestigious One District One Product Award 2023, Jan. 3, 2024. It was declared the runners-up in the category of India’s Foreign Missions for its contribution in promoting ODOP items in the world.

The New York Consulate was under the leadership of then Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, who received numerous accolades for his work promoting India and also making the Consulate more accessible to non-resident Indians in the US. Jaiswal finished his 3-year term at end of 2023, to take on the post of spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.

‘One District One Product’ is among the several initiatives of the Government of India in line with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat”, a self-reliant India. The idea is to select, brand, and promote One Product from each District of the country, harnessing traditional strengths and technology for holistic development, a press release from the Consulate said.

The prestigious ODOP Awards were conferred upon Indian Districts, States and Indian Missions abroad by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on January 3 as part of the ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Utsav.’.The Awards aim to recognize and honor those who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in furthering economic development through the ODOP approach.

MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal, tweeted with photos of the awards ceremony, saying, “Vocal for local, local goes global!” congratulating the 3 consulates abroad who received the awards. 

India’s Consulate General in New York, with active guidance and support of MEA and Department of Commerce, has undertaken a major campaign to showcase and promote One District One Product items of India in the United States. Some of the popular products include Araku Coffee, Assam and Darjeeling Tea, ittar (perfume) from Kannauj, Lakadong turmeric, jute and textiles products, millet-based food items, Dhokra metal handicrafts and Longpi pottery, among others.

In 2022, Consulate’s ODOP float was part of the iconic ‘India Day Parade’ in Manhattan. The Consulate also put up an ODOP stall at Times Square on the occasion of International Yoga Day which created widespread awareness in New York and more widely, about ODOP items. Besides these activities, the Consulate also hosted numerous trade shows, product launches and other events to promote and popularize these distinctive expressions of India’s diversity, heritage, culture and economic potential, the press release said.