Bhubaneswar: To mark the celebration of India’s 75th Independence Day, the Odisha Government has decided to distribute 30 lakh National Flags among the people free of cost.
The government assigned the responsibility of preparing the flags to Mission Shakti self-help groups (SHGs) in the state. The women SHG groups engaged nearly 4,000 women to stitch 30 lakh National Flags for the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign of the Centre.
Considering the gigantic task at hand, the SHG groups went to various parts of the state to speed up the process as they had been given a target to finish the order by August 10. The SHGs procured the huge quantity of raw materials from local markets to successfully complete the work. They made approximately four lakh flags per day, said sources.
Besides giving them a unique opportunity to earn for themselves, the project instilled a sense of patriotism among the who who considered themselves proud to be part of the celebration of glorious 75th Independence Day.
“This is a time to celebrate, and everyone wants to contribute to this national celebration. The WSHG members proactively showed interest in manufacturing the flags. The sewing machines and tailoring units with the SHGs made it possible for them to complete the work on time. The orders for the flags have been mainly received from institutional clients. The women are very happy that the flags produced by them will flutter across the state,” said Chief Development Officer-cum-EO, Zilla Parishad, Ganjam, Keerthi Vasan V to a local media.
Here are a few pictures of the SHGs while stitching the order of 30 Lakh national flags:
