After the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, the country’s lone BIS-approved national flag manufacturing unit of Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS) at Bengeri in Hubballi is slowly returning to normality and there is a smile on the faces of those working there.
The lockdown and subsequent restrictions had led to a situation wherein the KKGSS found it difficult to pay wages as production had to be stopped for want of orders. “Our biggest retail outlet is in Bengaluru and it recorded a huge drop in sales last year. But this year, it has been better,” KKGSS secretary Shivanand Mathapathi told The Hindu.
April to July is the period that the KKGSS records its annual sales. While it was around ₹56 lakh between April and July in 2020, it has risen to ₹92 lakh for the same period this year.
During the first wave of the pandemic, the flag unit had to be closed for a few months as Bengeri locality was declared a containment zone and various restrictions had to be followed. “There were no fresh orders and the workers too were afraid. As the raw material suppliers, including the Khadi Sangha at Tulasigeri in Bagalkot district, were in the red zone, the sangha faced several problems last year,” Mr. Mathapathi recalled.
However, this year’s sales are low when compared to the pre-pandemic period, when they used to be in the range of ₹1.5 crore to ₹2 crore. But, the workers at the khadi unit are happy that now they are at least in a situation where regular wages are assured. All put together, the khadi workers involved in the flag manufacturing process at Tulasigeri in Bagalkot district and at Bengeri in Hubballi amount to over 350. About 95% of these workers are women.