President Pranab Mukherjee gave his approval to the change in the naval ensign and crest last month. President Pranab Mukherjee gave his approval to the change in the naval ensign and crest last month.

The Indian Navy will correct an anomaly that has existed in its flag and crest for long by including the phrase "Satyameva Jayate" (Truth Alone Prevails) below the state emblem. The corrected emblem and crest will be adopted on August 15.

The Navy has a white ensign with a horizontal and a vertical red stripe intersecting at the centre of the flag. A golden state emblem is superimposed on the intersection. But this emblem did not carry the mandatory phrase "Satyameva Jayate" below the Lion Capital showing three lions mounted on the abacus with a Dharma Chakra in the centre and a bull and a galloping horse on either side.

The inscription of "Satyameva Jayate" in Devnagiri script will now be made below the Lion Capital in golden yellow, the same shade as that of the state emblem. It will be visible on both sides of the flag.

According to a directive, the inscription will fit within the red vertical strip. A similar change will be made in the naval crest which had an anchor below the state emblem. The phrase "Satyameva Jayate", written prominently, will now appear below the state emblem.

The Home Ministry earlier this year issued a directive to various government departments to correct the anomaly in the use of state emblem. It was found that "Satyameva Jayate" was omitted in several places. The state emblem is incomplete without the inscription being included prominently.

President Pranab Mukherjee gave his approval to the change in the naval ensign and crest last month. The Indian Navy had got over a colonial hangover on the eve of Independence Day in 2001, when it changed its ensign by dropping the St George's Cross. The removal of the St George's Cross ended a 250-year-old tradition. Despite the change of the ensign and crest, the words "Satyameva Jayate" were omitted and the design remained unchanged for 14 years. It was an oversight which is being corrected. The ensign and crest are an important part of the naval tradition as they have a prominent place in ceremonies and practices.

The Centre has got active in ensuring that the state emblem is correctly represented after the TV show Satyamev Jayate hosted by Aamir Khan gained popularity. The title of the programme triggered a debate on whether the motto of the state emblem could be used in this manner.