Murmu presents President’s Standard and Colors to four IAF units

Subject: Polity

Section: Msc

Context:

President Droupadi Murmu on March 8 presented the President’s Standard’s to two fighter squadrons of IAF and President’s Colors to two formations at Hindon Air Force station.

More on news:

This is the first time in the history of the service that four units have been awarded the President’s Standard and Colors together in a single ceremony.
These include:
- No. 45 ‘Flying Daggers’, the first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) squadron of the IAF and No. 221 Squadron ‘Valiants’ which flew almost one-third of all offensive missions of the IAF during the 1999 Kargil conflict will be at President’s Standard.
- The 11 Base Repair Depot (BRD) and 509 Signal Unit (SU) will be awarded President’s Colors.
The award of the President’s Standard and Colors is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon any military unit.

Presidential standard of India:

The presidential standard of India was a flag flown by the president of India from 1950 to 1971.
It succeeded the flag of the governor-general of India (used during the 1947–1950 period of the Dominion of India) on 26 January 1950, when India became a republic.
It ceased being used on 15 August 1971, when the president began using the national flag of India.
The standard was a rectangle divided quarterly into blue and red quadrants. Each quadrant was occupied by national symbols drawn in gold outline. The symbols were-
- 1st quarter: The Lion Capital of Ashoka, which is the State Emblem of India, to represent unity;
- 2nd quarter: A lively Indian elephant from a 5th-century painting of Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra to represent patience and strength;
- 3rd quarter: A weighing scale from the 17th-century Red Fort, Delhi, to represent justice and economy;
- 4th quarter: A vase of Indian lotus from Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh to represent prosperity.

President’s Colour Award:

The President’s Colour Award is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon any military unit of India.
It is also known as Nishaan, which is an emblem that is worn by all unit officers on the left-hand sleeve of their uniform.
While the practice of carrying the Colour into battle has stopped, the tradition of receiving, holding and parading the Colour continues even today in the Armed forces.
The President’s Colors is very significant, if the unit loses their colors, it is a disgrace for that unit and, if the unit captured the enemy’s colors then it is a great honor for that unit.