The Union Home Ministry announced the Sardar Patel National Unity Award, a new honour on the pattern of Padma awards for individuals or institutions for notable contributions towards the cause of national unity and integrity.
In a notification issued on Friday, the ministry said the decoration shall be conferred by the President by a ‘Sanad’ (certificate) “under his hand and seal”.
The decoration shall be in the form of a lotus leaf – six centimetres in length, six and two centimetres at its breadth and four millimetres in thickness. It will be made of fine silver and gold.
On its obverse shall be embossed replica of the lotus and with petals of lotus spreading out from sixteen petals.
A portrait of Sardar Patel shall be embossed upon a circular shaped gold medal with diameter of two centimetres and on the reverse shall be embossed the state emblem and motto in Hindi, it said. “The emblem, the lotus and the petals shall be of fine silver plated with gold and the inscription shall be of frosted gold.”
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