India's official flag makers in Karnataka's Hubballi in 'overtime mode' ahead of Independence Day

National flags sales were Rs 4.28 cr in 2022-23, flags worth Rs 1.1 cr sold in last 4 months, Rs 3 cr target this fiscal.

Ahead of the Independence Day, India’s national flag makers are working overtime now to produce the tricolours from hand-spun and hand-woven khadi cloth in accordance with the BIS standards, to meet the increasing demand for the flags in the run-up to the national festival.

At the National Flag Production Centre of the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangh (Federation) at Bengeri in Hubballi, most of those engaged in production of national flags are women. They work with a sense of pride as the flags prepared by them get salutes from Gram Panchayat office to Rashtrapati Bhavan, though their wages for piece-works are “not so encouraging.”

They get into this “overtime mode” twice in a year, ahead of Independence Day and Republic Day, and they are now working even on Sundays.

“We started working overtime around 15 days ago, and it will continue till August 13 evening. Production of national flags takes place throughout the year and overtime duty comes before August 15 and January 26,” says the national flag production centre’s manager Annapurna Koti.

Out of 26 workers here, 25 are women, and they are engaged in stitching, Ashok Chakra printing, ironing, toggling and other works, adhering to the strict norms set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), she added.

Coming out of the lull in business for two years due to pandemic-induced lockdown restrictions and their impact, sales of the national flags of the Sangh had reached a new height in 2022-23, due to ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations and ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign. Though the sales may not be that high this fiscal, this unique business of protecting khadi culture and evoking patriotism is expected to be of at least pre-Covid level.

Rs 3-cr sales target

According to Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangh (Federation) secretary Shivanand Mathapati, a total of 28,854 flags of different sizes worth Rs 4.28 crore were sold in 2022-23.

“From April 1 to July 31 this year, flags worth Rs 1.10 crore are sold. We have targeted to reach Rs three crore sales this financial year,” he said.

The centre receives khadi cloth from Bagalkot district, while flags are mainly sold through Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) agencies, Khadi institutes and government agencies across the country.

Last year, Union Government’s cost-chart committee revised the prices of flags. The wages of workers were also revised. A worker here can earn from Rs 300 to Rs 450 per day, Mathapati noted, adding that the maximum demand is for flags of 2X3 feet and a majority of the orders are from North India.

This centre had hit the headlines in a big way last year, when Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi visited it, opposing the Union Government’s move of allowing the hoisting of flags made of polyester cloth. Khadi institutions had also staged a ‘satyagraha’.

“Though the amendment to the flag code act is not withdrawn, polyester flags are not being used by many. However, we could have got more orders if only Khadi flags were allowed. Meanwhile, non-BIS flags are also available in the market,” Mathapati added.