Sign In
Learn bits
Defence & Security
Mahesh

03/09/22 21:58 PM IST

Indian Navy’s new ensign

In News 
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently unveiled the new ensign of the Indian Navy which takes inspiration from the seal of the great Indian emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Features 
  • This new ensign has two main components: the canton national ensign in the upper left, and a navy blue-gold octagon in the center of the fly side away from the staff.
  • St. George’s Cross has been removed from this new ensign. Now the tricolor is drawn in the top left. Next to it is the emblem of Ashoka in gold on a blue background. Below it is written ‘Sham no Varunah’ in Sanskrit language. It means that Varuna, the god of water, is auspicious for us.
  • The blue octagonal shape in this new ensign represents the eight directions, symbolizing the multi-faceted reach and multi-functional operational capability of the Indian Navy, while the anchor symbol represents “firmness”.
Historical background 
  • India became independent from the British colony, but the ensign of the Indian Navy remained a glimpse of the British period. The red cross seen on the Navy ensign is the ‘St George’s Cross’, which was once part of the English flag, the Union Jack.
  • It bears the insignia of the Red Cross Navy and the tricolor was placed in the top left. In the year 2001, changes were made to this ensign and the Red Cross was removed from it and in its place the Ashoka symbol was made in blue color.
  • However, there was a complaint that the blue color mixes with the sea and the sky, due to which it is not visible. After this it was changed again in 2004 and the Red Cross was established. But this time the Ashoka symbol was placed in the middle of the Red Cross.
  • In 2014, it was changed again and ‘Satyamev Jayate’ was written below the Ashoka emblem.
Source- Indian Express 

More Related Current Affairs View All

05 May

Key objectives of caste count

'The Union Cabinet has decided that the next Census will include questions on caste to its enumeration of India’s population, for the first time in almost a century. ' T

Read More

05 May

2 new genome-edited rice varieties

'Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently released two genome-edited varieties of rice, the first achievement of its kind in the country.' These two varieties, which

Read More

05 Mar

First-ever comprehensive survey of India’s river dolphins

'Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the results of the first-ever comprehensive population estimation of riverine dolphins – Gangetic and Indus dolphins – done in In

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps