E-Paper
Sale of national Tri-colour in violation of norms
ACCORDING TO an apex court verdict people can unfurl the national flag at their houses and other establishments, with other norms concerned, like the cloth used in making it, size and where it is sold, remaining the same.
ACCORDING TO an apex court verdict people can unfurl the national flag at their houses and other establishments, with other norms concerned, like the cloth used in making it, size and where it is sold, remaining the same.
Probably the only cloth item certified by the ISI, the national Tri-colour is authorised to be sold only by Gandhi Ashram Bhawans throughout the country. However, it is being sold virtually anywhere and everywhere.
A private shopkeeper commented that there might be special guidelines for sale of the national flag but the fact was that they had never been asked not to sell the Tri-colour.
According to the norms, the national flag can be sold either in 2x3, 3x4.5, 4x6, 6x9 feet sizes, but the norms are mostly violated. A shopkeeper on Meston Road said most of the orders for flags were from New Delhi and then purchased in the city.
He admitted that mill cloth was also used in making of the flags, although flags made only either at Khadi Gramodyog Karnatak Sangh or Mumbai Khadi and Village Association could be used.
The rate of flags sold at private shops ranges from Rs 15 to Rs 70. However, the official rates of the flags have also been fixed according to sizes. A flag of the size of 3 x 2 feet sold at Gandhi Ashram can only cost Rs 140.
Probably sale of flags in private shops has resulted in virtually no increase in sale of flags at Gandhi Ashrams. Virendra Kumar Trivedi, secretary of Kanpur Khadi Gramudyog, said it was for the government to make people aware about the use of flags only then there could be increase in sale.
About flags being sold in the open market, he said that the same could not be checked. However, again the people should be encouraged to discourage shopkeepers by not purchasing from these outlets, he added.
