Shops looting people in the name of Independence Day, says actor Madhuri Sangita Patil

MUMBAI: Upcoming actor Madhuri Sangita Patil today took to social media to vent her frustration on shops and vendors who according to her are looting citizens in the name of Independence Day.

“I went out to buy a flag for my house and they were selling it for nothing less than Rs 200. Even a small, simple flag, which all these years was sold by urchins at traffic signals in Mumbai for Rs 2 to Rs 5 is selling for Rs 10 to Rs 15 this year. The bigger flags are selling for anywhere between Rs 100 to Rs 300,” she told this reporter, adding that businessmen are exploiting citizens and making money, which is not correct.

According to Patil, bigger size flags are selling for Rs 300 to Rs 500, which is a 400 to 500 per cent margin on the manufacturing cost. Patriotic feelings of Indians are exploited to make profits for some businessmen, which in my view is not appropriate.

Meanwhile the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi generated business of Rs 500 crore with over 30 crore flags sold this year, according to figures released by the traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said on Sunday.

The “Har Ghar Tiranga movement has depicted the capacity and capability of Indian entrepreneurs who manufactured more than 30 crore flags in a record time of about 20 days, catering to the unprecedented demand of Tiranga among the people,” CAIT National President BC Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said in a joint media statement.

The Ministry of Home Affairs amended the Flag Code of India, 2002 that allowed the manufacturing of polyester or machine-made flags as well as hand spun and hand woven or machine-made, cotton, wool, silk khadi bunting.

The amendment helped in easy availability of flags and gave employment to more than 10 lakh people who made the tricolour in their homes or at other places, engaging local tailors in a big way, the CAIT said.