'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign to mark 75 years of India's Independence to kick off today

Tags: National News

The 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign is starting from August 13 to encourage people to bring home and hoist the tricolour to commemorate the 75th year of India's independence.

What is the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign?

• This campaign will run till 15th August.

•  The campaign envisages to inspire Indians everywhere to hoist the national flag at their home.

• Since the announcement of the campaign, more than 20 crore national flags have been made available to the people.

• The idea behind this initiative is to inculcate the feeling of patriotism in the hearts of the people and promote awareness about the tricolour.

• Apart from homes, the flag will also be hoisted in public undertakings, local self-governing bodies, government, educational institutions, commercial establishments and private firms.

About National Flag

• On 22 July 1947, the Constituent Assembly adopted the national flag.

• The flag which was chosen has undergone several changes since it was originally designed by Pingali Venkayya in 1923.

• Venkayya was a freedom fighter.

• He was known as Jhanda Venkayya because he published a book on 30 designs for the Indian flag in 1916.

• His 146th birth anniversary was on 2 August 2022.

Flag Code of Conduct, 2002

• The rules for the use, display and hoisting of the National Flag are laid down in the Flag Code of Conduct, 2002.

• This code of conduct was implemented on 26 January 2002.

• The Flag Code of Conduct, 2002, allows unrestricted display of the tricolour while maintaining the honour and dignity of the flag.

• The Flag Code of India, 2002 is divided into three parts-

• The first part contains a general description of the national flag.

• The second part deals with the display of the national flag by members of the public, private organisations, educational institutions, etc.

• The third part gives information about the hoisting of the national flag by the central and state governments and their organisations and agencies. It mentions that the tricolour cannot be used for commercial purposes.

• Apart from this, the flag should not be used as a festival or for the purposes of any kind of decoration.

• For official display only flags conforming to the specifications prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards and bearing its mark may be used.

Hoisting the national flag is a fundamental right

• A bench headed by Chief Justice of India VN Khare in its judgement said that under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, citizens have a fundamental right to hoist the national flag in its premises throughout the year.

• However, it was also held by the court that the dignity of the national flag should be maintained in the premises.

Constitutional and Statutory Provisions

• Article 51A(a) – To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.

• Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950

• Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971