Explained: What is the Flag Code and how has it been changed recently?

What led to the recent amendment?

The Flag Code of India, 2002 was amended vide Order dated December 30, 2021, and National Flag made of polyester or machine made flag have also been allowed. Now, the National Flag shall be made of hand-spun, hand-woven or machine-made cotton/polyester/wool/silk/khadi bunting, as per the amended flag code.

The government will soon launch ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’– a nationwide campaign to encourage people to hoist the Tricolour at their homes to mark the 75th Independence Day. According to officials in the Ministry of Culture, the plan is to reach out to more than 20 crore homes across the country by August 15, the 75th Independence Day.

The amended flag code will facilitate the availability of flags on such a large scale and also make them affordable for the general public. Officials in the Ministry of Culture say the flags are now available for as low as Rs 30 on online portals. Once the flag code was amended, the government reached out to manufacturers and e-commerce sites to boost its availability. The Ministry has also held meetings with e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart to make sure these sites would be a platform to buy flags.

Why is it being criticised?

The amendment has been welcomed by many, including industrialist and former Congress MP Naveen Jindal, whose petition in 1995 had led to the Delhi High Court allowing hoisting of the national flag by individuals at their private premises. The amendment to the flag code has, however, been questioned by those who feel the move will break the association between the Tricolour, the Independence movement and khadi.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said: “By allowing the import of Tricolour made of polyester, an arrangement has been made for ‘China-made Tricolour in every home’ — the very China that is encroaching on our land.” Party spokesperson Ajoy Kumar added, “They (BJP government) have been vending government properties, and now they are aiming at selling the national flag as the country’s treasury is waning.”

What do khadi weavers have to say?

A section of Khadi weavers and activists have launched an agitation to protest the amendment. A nationwide protest has been called by the Karnataka Khadi Gramudyog Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS) — a unit that spins the fabric used to make the National Flag, which has now paused operations in the wake of the move.

KKGSS, which claims to be the only BIS approved khadi unit for the material used to make the Tricolour, say they used to get orders worth Rs 3-4 crore every year in the run up to the Independence Day, but this year, in the wake of the amendment, the demand has been abysmal.

The unit became unique as a manufacturing centre for the National Flag in 2006, when it was accredited with ISI certification and an authorisation to sell the National Flag throughout the country. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission certified KKGSS as the sole manufacturer and supplier of the Tricolour to the entire country. They have already written to the Prime Minister regarding the amendment.