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The Indian tricolour was hoisted at Seattle's iconic 605-feet-tall Space Needle on India's 79th Independence Day, the first time that a foreign nation's flag was raised at the popular American destination. Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta along with Mayor of Seattle Bruce Harrell and other select dignitaries from the Seattle city leadership, joined the historic and landmark occasion. "No greater honour than this ! Raising the Tiranga on top of Seattle skyline at Space Needle," Gupta said in a post on X, along with a video of the tricolour flying high atop the iconic Seattle monument with sprawling views of the city below. Calling the commemoration a "historic first in Seattle", the Consulate General of India in Seattle said the celebration underscored the contributions of the Indian-American diaspora in shaping the city's journey as a tech hub in the US Pacific Northwest. Later, a community reception was hosted by the Consulate at the scenic Kerry Park, with India's
The Culture Ministry said on Wednesday that the 'Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan', which was launched in 2022, has created employment opportunities for thousands of women associated with self-held groups (SHGs), which have increasingly taken over flag production to meet the massive demand. Union Culture Secretary Govind Mohan said approximately 25 crore flags are needed annually and the production has shifted from large vendors to SHGs, turning them into a thriving industry as they now produce and sell most of the national flags. He said when the programme was first launched in 2022 as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there was a significant challenge in meeting the demand for flags. To address this, the central government procured national flags from large vendors and distributed approximately 7.5 crore flags to the states, directly and through post offices, he noted in a statement, adding that the government also revised the Flag Code of .
Days ahead of the 78th Independence Day, an expedition team under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence has unfurled a 7,800 sq ft Indian national flag atop Uhuru Summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest peak of the African continent. The defence ministry in a statement on Saturday said it aims to "inspire future generations of 'divyangjan' and other underprivileged youth to pursue their dreams, no matter how daunting they may seem". In the run-up to the 78th Independence Day, "the 'divyangjan expedition team of Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence, has unfurled 7,800 sq ft Indian national flag atop Uhuru Summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest peak of the African continent," it said. The team led by Group Captain Jai Kishan, including Uday Kumar and others undertook Mission Kanchanjanga National Park to Mt Kilimanjaro (Mission K2K) to script another historic achievement, "as for the first time an amputee climber successfully completed the endeavo
Ahead of the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, demand for saffron flags bearing images of Lord Ram, Lord Hanuman and the upcoming grand temple has risen manifold. As Ayodhya will virtually be fortified on the day of the 'Pran Pratishtha' on January 22, devotees from the nearby districts are arriving early for a 'darshan' of Ram Lalla and are purchasing these flags, besides other merchandise bearing the name and images of Lord Ram. With less than two weeks to go for the grand event which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the temple town is in the grip of religious fervour, or as the locals say, "Ayodhya Rammayi ho rahi hai". Saffron flags bearing images of Lord Ram and the upcoming Ram temple, 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan, and an image of Lord Hanuman -- often seen on the rear windshield of cars -- are in big demand, according to local shopkeepers. Several local residents PTI spoke to said the demand for saffron flags has been on the rise since the 2019 Supreme .
Showing respect to the Indian flag, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday immediately picked up the tricolour placed on stage at a BRICS meeting here to mark the standing place of every leader so as not to step on it. A video of the meeting showed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledging the prime minister's gesture and picking up his country's flag after stepping on it. While Ramaphosa handed over his flag to an official, Modi kept the tricolour with him. Earlier, Modi also held a bilateral meeting with Ramaphosa during which they reviewed the progress made in bilateral ties, exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues and also on ways to work jointly to strengthen the voice of the Global South.
Around 2.5 crore national flags have been supplied to post offices for sale as part of the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, which has transformed into a "people's movement" with increasing 'janbhagidari', a top official of the culture ministry said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference here, Union Culture Secretary Govind Mohan said there is a lot of excitement in the country right now, with regard to this campaign, which saw an overwhelming response last year when it was first launched. "Our aim is to celebrate 'Har Ghar Tiranga' in 2023 on the same big scale and commitment as we had done last year. All preparations that were done last year have been done this year as well," he said. Later talking to reporters, he said, through the textile ministry, "we have ensured supply of flags to all states and UTs. And this year, around 2.5 crore flags have been supplied to post offices, compared to last year when the figure was one crore". As part of this initiative, the Department of Pos
The Delhi Police has registered a case against unidentified people for recording and circulating an audio message containing the threat to remove the Indian flag from Pragati Maidan, the venue for high profile G-20 meet in September. The case was registered at the complaint of a man who received the pre-recorded message on his phone when he arrived at the Delhi airport. In the message, the alleged Khalistan supporter was talking about taking over Pragati Maidan and removing the Indian flag. Later, the person also allegedly talked about 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh, they said. A case under sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion etc) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at IGI Airport Police Station, they said. The case has been transferred to the Special Cell unit of the Delhi Police, they added. Singh, the radical preacher, is on the
The tricolour flying atop the Indian High Commission in London was pulled down by a group of protesters waving separatist Khalistani flags and chanting pro-Khalistani slogans on Sunday evening. Scotland Yard said it was "aware" of an incident in the area but is yet to issue an official statement. India has, meanwhile, registered its strong protest with the British government over the safety of its diplomatic mission and questioned the lack of sufficient security at the premises. Images of shattered windows and men climbing the India House building were circulating on social media and videos from the scene show an Indian official grabbing the flag from a protester through the first-floor window of the mission, while the protester is seen waving a Khalistan flag hanging off its ledge. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the senior-most UK diplomat in New Delhi was summoned late evening on Sunday to convey India's strong protest at the actions taken by separatist and extremist