You can now fly the tricolour on your house day and night, with the government making a key change in rules ahead of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ celebrations in the run-up to Independence Day. So far, a member of the public was allowed to hoist the flag from sunrise to sunset.
News18 has accessed a letter written by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on July 20 to all Secretaries specifying the rule that has been changed with effect from the same day. “The Flag Code of India, 2002, has been further amended and shall now be read as: where the flag is displayed in open or displayed on the house of a member of the public, it may be flown day and night,” the letter says. The earlier rule was that when the flag is displayed in the open, “it should, as far as possible, be flown from sunrise to sunset, irrespective of weather conditions.”
The Home Secretary’s letter says the idea is to encourage citizens to hoist the national flag in their homes as part of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ celebrations. “This year, when we are marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, let us strengthen the Har Ghar Tiranga Movement. Hoist the Tricolour or display it in your homes between 13th and 15th August. This movement will deepen our connect with the national flag,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted two days ago. The government is expecting nearly 30 crore homes to display the national flag, come August 13.
Earlier, in 2009, the government had permitted that the tricolour can be flown day and night at various places if it was on “giant flagpoles” after industrialist Naveen Jindal had given a representation to the government. The recent move would, however, allow normal citizens to hoist the tricolour at their homes day and night.
The Flag Code of India, 2002, was earlier amended vide order dated December 30, 2021, and National Flag made of polyester or machine-made flag have been allowed. Now, the National Flag shall be made of hand-spun and hand-woven or machine-made cotton/polyester/wool/silk/khadi bunting. “Whenever the National Flag is on display, it should occupy the position of honour and should be distinctly placed. A damaged or disheveled National Flag should not be displayed,” the letter says.
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