Ahead of the Independence Day, the central government on Sunday urged all states and Union territories to give wide publicity in media against the use of the national flag made of plastic. In a letter to the chief secretaries, the Ministry of Home Affairs said ensuring appropriate disposal of national flags made of plastic is a practical problem since they are not biodegradable like paper flags.
“You are, therefore, requested to ensure that on the occasions of important national, cultural and sports events, flags made of paper only are used by the public in terms of the provisions of the ‘Flag Code of India, 2002’ and such paper flags are not discarded or thrown on the ground after the event,” the MHA said, adding that those flags should be disposed of, in private, consistent with the dignity of the flag.
The ministry noted that a perceptible lack of awareness is often noticed amongst people as well as organizations and agencies of the government with regard to laws, practices and conventions about the display of the national flag.
“You are requested to undertake mass awareness programme in this regard and also to give it wide publicity through advertisements in the electronic and print media,” the MHA told the state governments.
