Tricolour, outsourced

The company’s CEO, Zhang Gangqiang said: ‘‘If you are from India and want to place an order for flags, we can make it as per your specifications, just mail your requirements to me. We have been supplying Indian flags to countries across Europe and the USA.’’ The company refuses to reveal the number of flags it sells a year but says it has an annual turnover of $2.5 million.

But in this season of Chinese products flooding India, it is likely that flags too will cross the borders. ‘‘The flag code does not prevent private parties from manufacturing these but I don’t know if these are imported from China,’’ says a senior Textile Ministry official.

The production and sale of the Tricolour has been the preserve of the KVIC. And before KVIC stepped in, the fabric was produced by the Ordnance Factory at Shahjahanpur on request from the Government of India. On specific ceremonial occasions such as Independence Day and Republic Day, the flag would be procured on orders from the Centre. The fabric used then was sourced from either Mafatlal Mills or JCT Phagwara.

From Shajahanpur, the production of the flag moved to KVIC. The flags are now ordered from the KVIC and produced according to the rules laid down in the Flag Code. The dimensions of the flags vary in proportion to the buildings where they will be hoisted. The code states that the flags on public buildings have to be handmade. They can be silk, cotton or wool but they have to be handwoven if they are meant for display on buildings.

The display of the flag was governed by the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971—which was subsequently brought under the Flag Code of India, 2002. The code says flags foisted over very large buildings like the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament House should be of the dimension 12”x8”, and on medium-sized buildings, they should be 9”x6”.