The National Symbols of India

Our national symbols are not matters of sentiment alone. Each of them is governed by law — by an Act of Parliament, by Rules notified in the Gazette, and by standing Orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Yet a great deal of what is commonly believed about them is inaccurate: about who may fly the Flag on a car, about who may use the State Emblem, and about the order in which the National Song and the National Anthem are sung.

These pages set out the position as the Government of India has actually laid it down. Nothing here is written from memory or from common belief. Every statement is taken from an official publication, and each page carries at its foot the full list of the Government documents it draws upon, with a direct link to each one.

• The National Flag of India The Tiranga — its evolution and adoption, the specification and the nine standard sizes, the rules for display by the public and by Government, half-masting, respectful disposal, and the penalties for showing it disrespect. Flag Code of India, 2002 →
• The State Emblem of India The official seal of the Government of India — its description, and precisely which authorities may use it on seals, on stationery and on vehicles, set out office by office from Schedules I, II and III of the Rules. Act of 2005 & Rules of 2007 →
• Rashtragaan & Rashtra Geet Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram — the official texts in Devanagari and in transliteration, their English meaning, their history, and the Orders that govern when and how each is sung. Orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs →

Three things worth knowing

The National Flag may now be flown at home by day and by night. The Flag Code of India, 2002 was amended in July 2022 and clause (xi) of paragraph 2.2 now reads: “where the Flag is displayed in open or displayed on the house of a member of public, it may be flown day and night.” A separate amendment of 30 December 2021 permits the Flag to be made of machine-made cotton, polyester, wool, silk or khadi bunting, in addition to hand spun and hand woven bunting.

The right to use the State Emblem on stationery is not a right to put it on a car. Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies and Councils, and officers of the Central and State Governments — including officers of the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service — are listed in Schedule I of the State Emblem of India (Regulation of Use) Rules, 2007, and so may use the emblem on official seals and stationery in their official capacity. None of them appears in Schedule II, which alone governs display on vehicles.

The National Song is sung first. Paragraph IV(2) of the Orders relating to the National Song provides that when the National Song and the National Anthem are sung or played together, the National Song will be sung or played first. The Ministry of Home Affairs reiterated this for strict compliance by its letter of 9 July 2026.