SRINAGAR: Four days after school children in south Kashmir were asked to pay Rs 20 for Tiranga, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir Pandurang K Pole Saturday said the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiative is absolutely a voluntary movement and holds no compulsion or insistence on it.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir clarified that the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiative is completely a voluntary basis movement and there would not be any kind of compulsion or any insistence on it.
The central government has envisioned the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ (tricolour at every home) exercise in the run-up to the 75th anniversary of Independence and the citizens have been directed to hoist or display the national flag at the top of their homes between August 13 to August 15.
“All those citizens who want to unfurl the tricolour in their homes or in their shops by following the flag code between August 13 to August 15 are welcome and the tricolour will be given to them at reasonable rates,” the Divisional Commissioner said.
He said they only want the flag code to be followed while hoisting the tricolour. “One thing will have to be kept in mind that a proper flag code should be followed by those who want to hoist the tricolour. They will be made aware about the same so that there will be compliance with the flag code,” he added.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday also appealed to people to strengthen their relationship with the tricolour while hoisting it on their homes on August 13-15.
On Thursday a government order forced schoolchildren in a south Kashmir district to shell out money for the upcoming Har Ghar Tiranga campaign before an outcry led to the directive’s withdrawal.
The directive, issued on Thursday by Mohammad Sharief, a chief education officer in Anantnag, had asked government higher secondary schools in the district to collect Rs 20 per student.
It did not mention the reason, but Saturday’s circular withdrawing the order made it clear the collection had been for the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign.
Most of the students enrolled in government schools are from poor families. Thursday’s order prompted many social media users to criticise the government for making “poor” students pay.
Thursday’s directive came amid fears in the Valley that the government might force people to hoist the Tricolour atop their homes from August 13 to August 15. Officials have made conflicting statements on the subject.
Thursday’s directive was sent via WhatsApp to principals and headmasters of higher secondary schools and zonal education officers. It said Rs 20 was to be collected from every student of Classes VIII to XII. The money collected was to be deposited with the nodal officers by 2 pm on Saturday.
On Saturday, Sharief said the circular relating to the “Har Ghar Tiranga campaign” was being “withdrawn with immediate effect” but did not cite any reason.