Navy will sport new flag from today

When the new warship ‘INS Kamorta’ will be commissioned in the Navy on Saturday, it will flutter a new flag that has come into existence a week ago.

The new flag has the words “Satyameva Jayate” displayed prominently at the centre, below the Ashok Stambh, the national emblem. The earlier flag did not have those words.

The modification follows a Home Ministry’s directive to the government departments to correct the anomaly in the use of state emblem as it was found that “Satyameva Jayate” was omitted in several places. The state emblem is incomplete without the inscription being included prominently.

The anomaly in the naval flag was corrected by President Pranab Mukherjee who approved the new flag and ensign last month. The flag has a vertical and a horizontal red stripe and the national emblem in golden colour is placed at the intersection.

Now “Satyameva Jayate” is being displayed below the emblem in the same colour within the red stripe. “The new flag has been constituted on August 15 and all units of the Navy shall comply with the order,” said an official.

‘INS Kamorta’ will be the second ship to hoist the new flag on commissioning, after ‘INS Kolkata’, commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 16. The anti-submarine warfare corvette would be commissioned by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley at Vishakhapatnam.

In 2001, the NDA government removed the King George cross from the Navy’s ensign, ending a 250-year-old tradition.

As the rank and file in the maritime force protested, former Defence Minister George Fernandes had brought it back in a new form, introducing an Ashok Stambh in the middle to justify the change.