Hubballi’s flag-making unit’s triumphs & tribulations post Independence Day

The staff at Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha at Bengeri, Hubballi, the only authorised unit to manufacture Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)-certified national flags, took their first day off after four-and-half months on Tuesday.

Their overtime and working even on Sunday meant that the Sangha could manufacture and sell national flags worth Rs 2.5 crore, almost double that of pre-pandemic years. Officials said they not only ran out of stock, but also could not cater to last-minute demand.

“In pre-Covid years, the Sangha used to clock average sales of Rs 1.1 crore to Rs 1.3 crore. However, this year marking 75 years of independence, we had business of over Rs 2.5 crore,” said Khadi centre secretary Shivanand Mathapati.

This year, they could not supply flags of various dimensions to other states, as they used to do earlier.

Khadi and Village Industries Commission of Mumbai, Delhi and other states continued to be the highest procurers of national flags manufactured at this unit.

The flag that was hoisted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Red Fort, Delhi was also prepared here. Apart from the governments and the district administration, it was the KPCC that had placed the highest orders with the Sangha.

D K Shivakumar, KPCC president, during his visit here, had requested to supply national flags worth Rs 7.5 lakh, while other local leaders purchased flags worth Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh, he said and added that officially, BJP did not place any huge order.

“Some local corporators and BJP leaders bought 50-100 flags,” he said.

Mathapati said Dharwad deputy commissioner Gurudatta Hegde’s order to government offices and schools in the district to hoist only BSI-approved flags during Independence Day helped boost sales. This order was emulated by Bagalkot and Belagavi districts.

Mathapati said from next year, the Sangha will not see similar demand for the flags.

He rued that the government missed an opportunity to boost sales of khadi flags and khadi products. “Had the government allowed us to manufacture light-cloth flags (a cloth used for khadi dresses), in six-seven months with the help of our 50 khadi co-operative societies in Karnataka, we could have manufactured nearly one crore flags (1X1.5 ft) that could have been sold for Rs 110 each. This would have helped the societies under distress to earn Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore,” he said.

The members of the Sangha demanded that at least next year, the union government must withdraw its order, allowing the manufacture of polyester flags, which could destroy the entire khadi industry.