Ahead of 75th I-Day, Chhattisgarh SHGs get govt help to stitch tricolour

Yamini Sahu has been relentlessly working on her sewing-machine with a mission -- to stitch the tricolour and become part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.

She is not the only one. About three dozen women are working with her in a self-help group (SHG) of Komakhan in Mahasamund district, Chhattisgarh.

Her group has received an order to stitch 1,500 flags and expects more as they are about to complete the first lot.

“The flags made by us will flaunt on government buildings and houses to mark the historic occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,” Yamini said. Besides, it would also earn a good amount for the group and individual woman members, she added.

Yamini’s SHG is not the only one. The Chhattisgarh government has assigned SHGs across the state the job of making the tricolour. According to officials, over 150,000 women are working on this.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has announced commemorating the Mahotsav week from August 11 to 17 and unfurling the tricolour at their houses and government buildings. He had directed officials to give priority to those made by women SHGs.

Officials said SHGs had been given the task to make 1 million flags.

The Ujala SHG in Cherikhedi, on the outskirts of Raipur, is supposed to make 60,000 flags by August 8. About 30 women are working till all hours to meet the target.

Panchayat department officials too are hard at work. The women’s groups were initially provided khadi after procuring it from khadi and village industries.

As the demand increased and stocks exhausted, officials provided other prescribed kinds of fabric.

The Flag Code of India, 2002, has been amended to allow the tricolour to be made from polyester and other kinds of machine-made fabric, besides the traditional hand-spun and hand-woven khadi.

The flags made by the SHGs will be sold in state-run stores. They will also be available in fair price shops of villages.

The state government has directed civic bodies and departments to put up stalls outside their offices to sell the flags.

According to SHG members, the flags will be sold in the price range ~40-2,000, depending on the size and quality.