NAVAL ENSIGN

31st August, 2022 Security

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Context: Prime Minister will unveil the new naval ensign (flag) for the Indian Navy in Kochi on the sidelines of the commissioning of India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited.

Background:

The new naval ensign which the PM will unveil in Kochi will replace the present ensign that carries the Saint George Cross with the Tricolour in the canton (top left corner of flag).
This ensign is essentially a successor to the pre-Independence ensign of the Indian Navy which had the red George Cross on a white background with the Union Jack of the United Kingdom on the top left corner.
The design of the new ensign has not yet been made public.
After Independence, on August 15, 1947, the Indian defence forces continued with the British colonial flags and badges and it was only on Jan 26, 1950 that a changeover to Indianised pattern was made. The Navy crest and flag were changed but the only difference made to the flag was that the Union Jack was replaced with the Tricolour, and the George Cross was retained.
A change in the naval ensign was made in 2001 when the George Cross was replaced with the naval crest in the middle of the white flag while the Tricolour retained its place on the top left corner.
There had been a long pending demand for a change in the naval ensign
However, in 2004, the ensign was again changed back to the Red George Cross as there were complaints that the new flag was indistinguishable because the blue of the Navy crest merged with the skies and the sea. A change was made in the flag and the red George Cross now had the state emblem derived from the Lion capital of Ashoka in the middle.
In 2014, yet another change was made when the words ‘Satyamev Jayate’ were included on the flag below the Ashoka emblem in Devanagri script.
The red cross on white background is known as the Saint George’s Cross and is named after a Christian Warrior Saint who is believed to have been a crusader during the third crusade. This cross also serves as the flag of England which is a constituent of the United Kingdom