President's Colour to be awarded to Naval Academy on Nov 20

President Ram Nath Kovind will award the Presidents Colour to the Indian Naval Academy at a function at the Ezhimala Naval Academy in Kannur on November 20. The Presidents Colour is the highest honour that is bestowed upon a military unit, a defence press release said here on Sunday.

Before the country became a republic, the military custom was to parade the Kings Colours a regimental flag - on special ceremonial occasions. On February 27, 1951, the Commander in Chief of the Indian Navy, Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Parry had written to the Defence Minister that "it would be a privilege of which the service would be extremely proud, if the President would honour the Indian Navy by presenting it, a special flag which would be paraded on important occasions in a ceremonial parade." Following this, Indian Navy became the first among the three services to be presented with the Presidents Colour on May 27, 1951 by the then President of India Rajendra Prasad.

The Presidents Colour has thus far in the Indian Navy been awarded to Southern Naval Command, Eastern Naval Command, Western Naval Command, Western Fleet, Eastern Fleet and the Submarine Arm. Award of the Presidents Colour to Indian Naval Academy is a recognition of the yeoman service rendered by the institution in training and shaping Indian Naval officers over the last 50 years at three different locations - Kochi, Goa and Ezhimala, the release said.

The Naval Academy was first established at a temporary location in Kochi in 1969. With the increase in strength of the trainees, the Naval Academy was relocated to INS Mandovi in Goa in 1986.

The Indian Naval Academy found its permanent home at Ezhimala, Kerala, and was inaugurated on January 8, 2009. The event on Wednesday, November 20, would be marked by a parade by the cadets of INA, and would be attended by several dignitaries including the Governor of Kerala, Chief of the Naval Staff, Members of Parliament, State Ministers and Senior Officers of the Indian Navy, the release said.

A Special Postal Cover would also be released to commemorate the occasion, it added..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)