75th I-Day: Hubballi flag unit expects big orders

HUBBALLI: Over the next few months, it will be a busy schedule for the national flag-making unit in Hubballi, the only such facility in the entire country, as the Central Government is planning to procure a large number of national flags to celebrate the special 75th Independence Day. The expectation is that the Centre could order around 30 crore flags of different sizes that will be distributed across the country to celebrate 75 years of the birth of the nation.

A meeting was held here to discuss ways to cater to the demand. It was attended by officials of the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha, Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) V K Saxena and CEO Preeti Varma. 

An official from the flag-making unit at Bengeri in Hubballi confirmed to The New India Express that a massive bulk order is in the offing. “This is the only certified unit which supplies national flags to all parts of the country and abroad.

Annually, we make anywhere between 50,000 and one lakh national flags of different sizes. The sale and demand is more during August and January. But this time, the order is likely to be large because of the silver jubilee celebrations, and we have promised the officials that we will provide as many flags as possible,” he added.

“The entire operation of making flags is looked after by 20 women workers at the Bengeri unit. If there is a big jump in numbers, we will have to hire and train new people. The officials who came from KVIC have taken back flags of three sizes and they will soon decide which ones will have to be made and at what numbers,” the official explained.