Did you know the only licensed manufacturer of our national flag is in K’taka

Team Udayavani, May 19, 2020, 1:26 PM IST

The 110 m tall monumental flag at Kote Kere in Belagavi

Not only is India’s tallest national flag (9,600 sq.ft flag on a 110 m flag pole) located in Karnataka’s Belagavi , it also home to India’s only official flag-making company where the real authentic national tricolours are manufactured.

Located at Bengeri in Dharwad district, the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyog Samyukta Sangha Federation (KKGSSF) is certified by Khadi and Village Industries Commission of India as the sole manufacturer and supplier of the Indian flag to the entire country.

The KKGSSF, was founded in the year 1957 by a group of Gandhians with the vision of providing employments to rural unemployed youths under Khadi and Village Industries Sectors and popularise khadi products world-wide.

The establishment was assigned the responsibility of weaving cloth for the tricolor in 2005 given its efforts in popularizing khadi. Since then, it has been handlooming the special khadi cloth for the national flag of India.

A majority of women workforce at KKGSSF perform the intricate task of weaving, stitching the flags that are hoisted at the Red Fort in Delhi, and Indian government offices as well as Indian embassies across the world.

The khadi cloth for the tricolor is brought from Tulasigeri village to the national flag manufacturing unit at Bengeri, where the cloth undergoes a meticulous treatment for dyeing and screen printing before it is cut and stitched. The Indian national flag is manufactured in nine sizes measuring from 0.5×0.3 feet (the smallest) to 21×14 feet (the biggest).

The flags are made according to standards set by BIS. According to KKGSSF website, “Production of national flags as per strict guidelines of BIS is not an easy task, because, any defect in the flags such as colour, size, thread count, strength of yarn, fastness of the colours used for dyeing, etc. will be considered as a serious offence and is liable for a fine or imprisonment or both, as per the provisions of Flag Code of India 2002.