Har Ghar Tiranga: National flag can now be machine-made, in polyester

 The Union government in December 2021 amended the flag code stating the national flag made of polyester or machine-made flags have been allowed

The Indian national flag or Tricolour can now be made of polyester and with the help of machines, according to revised Flag Code of India. The Union government in December 2021 amended the flag code stating the national flag made of polyester or machine-made flags have been allowed.

“Now, the National Flag shall be made of hand-spun and hand-woven or machine-made, cotton/polyester/wool/silk khadi bunting,” the notification of the amendment by the Ministry of Home Affairs said. Before this, only hand-woven and hand-spun flags made of cotton, silk, wool or Khadi were allowed. The hoisting, use and display of the flag is governed by the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, and the Flag Code of India, 2002.

According to The Hindu report, the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha, which runs the lone BIS-approved flag-making unit, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah saying that the amendment will affect the whole of the khadi sector. The development has been made so that enough flags are available for government’s Har Ghar Tiranga (tricolour at every door) programme that proposes to cover government buildings, private offices and residences.

Nepal shuts borders with India, China for 72 hours ahead of polls on Friday

 Nepal has shut its international borders with India and China for a period of 72 hours ahead of the local polls slated for Friday, according to the Home Ministry

Nepal has shut its international borders with India and China for a period of 72 hours ahead of the local polls slated for Friday, according to the Home Ministry. The government decided to shut the borders to prevent any untoward incidents during the polls which will be held in 753 local units, said the Ministry. Ministry spokesman Phanindra Mani Pokharel said that a directive has been issued to the respective administration offices of the districts bordering India and China to implement the recommendations.

The adjoining districts have been asked to halt all movements, except for emergency services, during the 72-hour period. Political parties are gearing up for Friday’s elections which come after a gap of five years. The ruling alliance, main opposition, CPN-UML, Madhes-based political parties are among contesting the polls. Nepal shares a 1,880-km border with India and a 1,414-km with China. Out of 77 districts, as many as 42 either share a border with India, China or both…Read More

Delhi Metro resumes after 169-day Covid-19 hiatus; DMRC urges for prudence

The Delhi Metro resumed services with curtailed operation of the Yellow Line on Monday after being closed for over five months due to the novel coronavirus pandemic

The Delhi Metro resumed services with curtailed operation of the Yellow Line on Monday after being closed for over five months due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Yellow Line connects Samaypur Badli in Delhi to the HUDA City Centre in Gurgaon. The Home Ministry had recently issued guidelines allowing metro services in the country to resume operations in a graded manner, following which the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said it would be done in three stages from September 7-12. Under stage one, Yellow Line or Line 2 and Rapid Metro were made operational with restricted service hours, a DMRC official said.

ALSO READ: As metro is set to restart from Sept 7, here’s what travelling will be like

Trains will operate in batches of four-hour each from 7-11 am in the morning and 4-8 pm in the evening in the first stage, officials said. Delhi Metro services in the National Capital Region was closed since March 22 due to the pandemic. The DMRC has appealed to people to use the rapid transport only if urgently needed.

The DMRC had said that the carrying of Smart Card (with online recharge) was a must as tokens would not be available and all cash transactions would not be permitted, adding that it will not be providing services to stations that in containment zones for any given day in any of the states….

BJP plans nationwide campaign on Article 370 move, ropes in prominent faces

The party has started working on organising a ‘Jan Jagran Abhiyan’ (public awareness campaign) on the matter and will hold indoor meetings at state and district levels across the country

The BJP will carry out a nationwide campaign on the Union government’s decision to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution, and will reach out to 2,000 prominent personalities from the fields of film, sport and academia among others.
The party has started working on organising a ‘Jan Jagran Abhiyan’ (public awareness campaign) on the matter and will hold indoor meetings at state and district levels across the country, a party leader told PTI.
With assembly elections in four states around the corner, the party is keen to keep the emotive issue alive among the masses as it seeks to draw maximum political mileage following the decision which, it believes, has popular endorsement. At the same time, the party also wants to check the opposition’s propaganda on the issue.
Small indoor meetings at Article 370 different locations across the country with 500-1000 opinion makers at the district level, and 35 big indoor meetings having gathering of 2,000 people will be held at capitals of all states and Union territories in the country, the party leader said