Bengeri village near Hubballi in Karnataka has a special place in India's tricolour-making tradition, housing the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS), an authorised manufacturer and supplier of the National Flag.
The KKGSS flag-making unit in Dharwad district received certification and authorisation to manufacture and supply the tricolour across India in 2004. Its production follows Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications, with strict requirements governing dimensions, fabric quality, colours, thread count and placement of the Ashoka Chakra.
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Traditionally, the flags are made from hand-spun and hand-woven khadi, with cotton yarn sourced from khadi production centres in Karnataka. The manufacturing process involves skilled artisans, including around 100 spinners and 100 weavers associated with the unit, reported by News18.
The khadi fabric is dyed in the prescribed saffron, white and green colours and cut according to specified dimensions. The 24-spoke navy-blue Ashoka Chakra is then placed precisely at the centre of the white panel before the three sections are stitched together. Flags that fail quality requirements are rejected.
The organisation's roots are connected to Karnataka's long khadi and freedom-movement history. Garag village near Dharwad became an important centre of khadi production after freedom fighters established a khadi centre there in 1954.
However, the claim that every official Indian flag is produced exclusively in Bengeri is an oversimplification. India has multiple authorised flag manufacturers. KKGSS is nevertheless among the recognised producers supplying flags for official and institutional use, as per the reports.
The Indian National Flag follows a 2:3 ratio, with three horizontal bands of saffron, white and green and the Ashoka Chakra at the centre. The present design was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on July 22, 1947.
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Flags produced through authorised facilities such as KKGSS are supplied to government institutions and other official establishments, underscoring Bengeri's continuing role in preserving India's khadi-based tricolour-making tradition.
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