After Hockey, Lotus 'Loses' National Status; Govt Clarifies India Has No National Flower

The government has not given the status of ‘national flower’ to any flower, Union Minister of State for Home Nityananda Rai said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, July 10.

No ‘National Flower’

Rai said that ‘Tiger’ and ‘Peacock’ were notified as the ‘national animal’ and ‘national bird’ respectively by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), through notifications that were issued in 2011.

“However, no such notification has been issued regarding ‘national flower’ by MoEF&CC,” the Union Minister said.

The question was posed by BJD member Prasanna Acharya. He also wished to know if the names of national animal, flower or bird are mentioned by the UGC, NCERT and Government of India portals. To this, the minister assured that the information would be tabled in the House.

Hockey Is Not The ‘National Game’

Earlier, the Sports Ministry in an RTI reply clarified that it has not declared any sport as the national game.

Out of curiosity, Lucknow-based 10-year-old Aishwarya Parashar in 2012 filed an RTI application to the Prime Minister’s Office and sought certified copies of orders that relate to the declaration of National anthem, song, sport, animal, bird, flower and symbol. After her queries were transferred to the Home Ministry, her query on National Sport was forwarded to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

In its reply, Under-Secretary in the Sports Ministry Shiv Pratap Singh Tomar said that no sport or game has been designated as the National Game.

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