Lucknow, Aug 11 — As the nation-wide ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign seeks to remember the sacrifices of India’s freedom fighters and unite every citizen with the patriotic fervour, women associated with the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in Uttar Pradesh have set a new milestone by crafting more than 19 million Tricolours.
The mammoth scale of national flags being stitched by rural women across the state comes on the back of an appeal by the Yogi government, which set a target of 20 lakh Tricolours before the 79th Independence Day.
A day ago, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also called upon the people of the state to enthusiastically participate in the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign and set a target of hoisting the National Flag at 50 million households across the state.
Uttar Pradesh has been an active participant in the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiative with more than 41 million households unfurling the National Flag on their rooftop, over 45 million households in 2023 and 2024, and about 47.6 million households in 2025.
Against this backdrop, crafting a record number of Tricolours holds immense significance. This has become a significant source of income for women belonging to self-help groups (SHGs). More than 30,000 rural women attached to about 6,000 SHGs in Uttar Pradesh are giving a new dimension to this year's Independence Day celebrations.
Out of the stipulated target of 20 million national flags, the SHGs have already produced 19 million flags. These will now be distributed to the public through Gram Panchayats, Common Service Centres, block development offices, post offices and other organisations.
The task of making 20 national flags was undertaken by the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM), which, in coordination with the SHGs, managed to accomplish the task. Women associated with the mission worked for long hours and were involved in every step of the process, from stitching to giving final touches to the National Flags.
These flags will be handed over to Gram Pradhans (village heads) and other organisations at the Gram Panchayat level. From there, they will reach the people as part of the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign.
Arun Kumar, Mission Director of the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission, inspected the various production centres on Tuesday. He stated that the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign is not only a symbol of patriotism but has also become an effective medium for the economic empowerment of rural women.
“The hard work and collective effort of women from the SHGs are not only making this national campaign a success but are also contributing to the vision of an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (Self-Reliant India),” he stated.