'Transforming Har Ghar Tiranga into people's movement': Assam CM Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that his government was seeking to transform the Har Ghar Tiranga' drive into a people's movement by encouraging individuals to procure the national flag, either from self-help groups or fair price shops.

Sarma explained that the Tricolour was being supplied at subsidised rates through fair price shops, but "the ones who can afford should ideally purchase it from self-help groups" as that would add to the their earnings. 

Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said, The government has refrained from providing the national flag for free. We want to make Har Ghar Tiranga' a people's movement.

He stated that those who could not afford to buy the Tricolour from the SHGs or other stores should get it from fair price shops for Rs 18 per piece.

The government has bought 50 lakh flags from the textile ministry and is making these available to people through fair price shops. The flags being made by SHGs are slighlty costlier. Only those who cannot afford to buy from SHGS may get them from fair price shops, he said.

He added that 22 lakh beneficiaries of the state's Orunudoi scheme, under which the government provided Rs 1,000 each per month in the bank accounts of economically weak individuals, would receive an additional Rs 18 next month for buying the Tricolour.

The chief minister said the SHGs were given the target of making 30 lakh flags, and more than 10 lakh of these had already been sold.

In a bid to ensure success of the Har Ghar Tiranga' programme, as part of which people will unfurl the Tricolour at their residences, offices and other establishments from August 13 to 15, awareness drives have also been designed and launched, he said.

Releasing a theme song and video on the occasion, Sarma said campaigns to generate more awareness would be undertaken by schools from August 2 to 11.

He appealed the MLAs of the state to not just unfurl the Tricolour as part of the programme but also motivate others to do so.

Sarma said the government requested tea garden and shopping mall owners to gift a national flag each to their workers.

Petrol depots, too, can gift one flag to each customer. People can exchange national flags for gifts during this period, he added.