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The West Bengal government has notified a formal scheme for the use of official flags on vehicles used by senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers while discharging official duties, saying the move is aimed at facilitating smoother interactions with national and international authorities without compromising protocol.
According to a notification issued on May 30, 2026, the scheme would be applicable to senior IAS officers including the Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, Divisional Commissioners and District Magistrates. In a notification issued by the state government stated,"In view of the significant rise in the level of interaction with various International and National level authorities, it is felt that a flag for use on vehicles being used by senior officials of the State Government shall convey a greater sense of the Government's intent and enable smoother interactions without compromising protocol." Under the directions given by the government, the flag on the flag-staff shall be affixed to the centre of the bonnet of the vehicle and on/or with an attachment on the front grill; The flag on a vehicle shall only be displayed when the officer is using the vehicle strictly for official purposes, in the discharge of his/her allotted duties; the flag and flag-staff should be taken off when the officer is not travelling in the vehicle; the flag must always be kept clean and in proper condition; and the flag shall not be used to seek exemption from penalty for any violation of traffic rules. The Transport Department would be procuring all these flags and flag staffs to ensure uniformity of the material and their make. It has also been mentioned that the Office of the OSD to the Chief Secretary, Under Secretary, shall act as the custodian of flags and issue them to the concerned officers along with the approval of the Chief Secretary. The Office of the OSD to the Chief Secretary & Under Secretary shall maintain an updated database of flags issued against the name and rank of officers, and the vehicle registration number. (ANI)
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