Taking cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s displeasure towards receiving floral bouquets at functions, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has decided to impose a 'blanket ban' on flowers .
No officer or official will be presented a floral bouquet nor will they give a bouquet to important dignitaries on all occasions like farewell and retirement ceremonies in all offices of the Ministry of Statistics and its subordinate offices, said the ministry in its order. “During the course of the All India Radio Programme Mann ki Baat on June 25, 2017, the Prime Minister had emphasised the need of gifting books or khadi handkerchiefs in place of floral bouquet,” says the order issued last week.
The customary gesture of giving and receiving floral bouquets in all government functions has been going on for decades. But the same came under question when Modi flagged the issue in June this year. The prime minister had a point to make. “We should gift khadi handkerchiefs as it will help poor artisans, and books so that people are inspired to get into the habit of reading,” he had said in his programme. The thought had come to his mind when he was addressing the launch of P.N. Panicker Reading Day celebrations in Kerala where he was gifted a book instead of being welcomed with a bouquet. “I had the opportunity to go to the inaugural function where I was told that instead of bouquets , they gift books. I liked it,” he had said.
After the prime minister's appeal to people to stop using bouquets and wasting flowers, the home ministry had come out with an advisory asking states to stop using bouquets during Modi’s tours within the country. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had even welcomed Modi's idea by tweeting: “Some minds think alike! I’ve been saying this for years in Thiruvananthapuram.”
Now it remains to be seen whether other central ministries will take cue and issue a blanket ban on flowers.
