Amendment to Flag Code of India, 2022

What are the key amendments?

• The code was amended vide Order dated December 30, 2021, and National Flag made of polyester or machine made flag have also been allowed. 
• Now, the National Flag shall be made of hand-spun, hand-woven or machine-made cotton/polyester/wool/silk/khadi bunting, as per the amended flag code.
• The amended flag code will facilitate the availability of flags on such a large scale and also make them affordable for the general public. 
• The flags are now available for as low as Rs 30 on online portals. Once the flag code was amended, the government reached out to manufacturers and e-commerce sites to boost its availability. 
• The Ministry has also held meetings with e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart to make sure these sites would be a platform to buy flags.
• The government will soon launch ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’– a nationwide campaign to encourage people to hoist the Tricolour at their homes to mark the 75th Independence Day. 
• According to the Ministry of Culture, the plan is to reach out to more than 20 crore homes across the country by August 15, the 75th Independence Day.

Criticism of the amendment-

• The amendment has been welcomed by many, including industrialist and former Congress MP Naveen Jindal, whose petition in 1995 had led to the Delhi High Court allowing hoisting of the national flag by individuals at their private premises. 
• The amendment to the flag code has, however, been questioned by those who feel the move will break the association between the Tricolour, the Independence movement and khadi.
• A section of Khadi weavers and activists have launched an agitation to protest the amendment. A nationwide protest has been called by the Karnataka Khadi Gramudyog Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS) — a unit that spins the fabric used to make the National Flag, which has now paused operations in the wake of the move.
• KKGSS, which claims to be the only BIS approved khadi unit for the material used to make the Tricolour, say they used to get orders worth Rs 3-4 crore every year in the run up to the Independence Day, but this year, in the wake of the amendment, the demand has been abysmal.

Flag Code of India(FCI)-

• • The use, display and hoisting of the National Flag in the country is guided by this code.
  • It brings together all laws, conventions, practices, and instructions for the display of the National Flag. 

• The Flag Code of 2002 is divided into three parts:

• • Part I of the Code contains a general description of the National Flag. 
  • Part II of the Code is devoted to the display of the National Flag by members of public, private organisations, educational institutions, etc. 
  • Part III of the Code relates to display of the National Flag by Central and State governments and their organisations and agencies.
• On 26th January 2002, the Indian flag code was modified and the citizens of India were finally allowed to hoist the Indian flag over their homes, offices and factories on any day and not just National days as was the case earlier.
• It governs the display of the National Flag by private, public, and government institutions.
• As per Clause 2.1 of the Flag Code of India, there shall be no restriction on the display of the National Flag by members of the general public, private organizations, educational institutions etc. consistent with the dignity and honour of the National Flag.
• Usually, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issues an advisory to all the States and Union Territories to ensure strict adherence of the Flag Code on important national events.
• The unit became unique as a manufacturing centre for the National Flag in 2006, when it was accredited with ISI certification and an authorisation to sell the National Flag throughout the country. 
• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission certified KKGSS as the sole manufacturer and supplier of the Tricolour to the entire country.