HUBBALLI: The country's only BIS-certified national flag-making unit in Hubballi aims to do a business of Rs 1.75 crore by the end of this year's Independence Day.
This is the second consecutive year that the unit is making more than Rs 1.5 crore after the Union Government announced the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign last year on the occasion of 75 years of independence.
Officials at the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha, which manages the khadi produce and the National Flag-making unit in Bengeri of Hubballi, said that the unit has sold flags of various sizes worth Rs 1.10 crore between April 2023 and July 2023.
"Due to Har Ghar Tiranga, our business has improved in the last two years. The Hubballi unit gets orders from across the country during Republic Day and Independence Day. The Tricolour fluttering on important buildings in India such as the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Red Fort and Parliament are knitted in our Hubballi unit. Our National Flag at Indian embassies across the world were also made here," explained an official from the Khadi Federation.
The official explained that flags of different sizes are prepared at the Hubballi unit throughout the year.
The Bengeri khadi unit has maximum numbers of women workers who work on stitching, ironing and packing of the National Flags. The orders and sales increase during the national festival.
After the government made it compulsory to use khadi flags at all gram panchayats and other government offices, the demand for khadi flags has increased, said the official.
"It is important that the organisations and educational institutions celebrating Independence Day and Republic Day use National Flag made of khadi flag. Khadi is a symbol of India's freedom struggle and gives employment to thousands of women in North Karnataka. “For instance, the khadi material for the national flags is prepared in small Khadi units in Bagalkot and later they are stitched and packed in Hubballi," the official added.