HUBBALLI: The only BIS-certified national flag making centre in the country at Bengeri of Hubballi is staring at a 40-50% loss in business this season. This is the first time that the unit is incurring a loss when a national festival is around the corner.
The unit prepares thousands of handwoven Tricolours in khadi throughout the year and during August 15 and January 26, the sales are high. Be it the Parliament building or Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Tricolours that flutter on some of the iconic buildings are woven here. Cargo ships from India too order large-sized Tricolours from this unit.
But the business is not growing for the Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha of Bengeri. In 2021, the central government amended the Indian national flag code, allowing private manufacturers to make Tricolours in polyester and other materials. This change in rules has badly affected the unit’s business.
“The amendment has certainly crippled the flag sales by up to 40 per cent this season. We used to make business of up to Rs 2 crore during August, but this year we have not even crossed Rs 1.2 crore. Many institutions which regularly purchased flags from us have not contacted us this time,” said a senior official from the unit.
‘Make khadi flags must’
However, government buildings and gram panchayat offices have to hoist Tricolour made out of khadi and all those orders come to the Bengeri unit. It has only women workers, who work in shifts every day. The raw material is procured from villages in Dharwad and Bagalkot.
“The government should make khadi flags mandatory for even private institutions. At public functions and rallies, for flags beyond a certain size, khadi should be made mandatory. This will help those associated with the khadi village industry for a long time,” the official suggested.