Rajnath appreciates Navy’s role in indigenization

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday appreciated the role of Navy in the field of indigenization in consonance with the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Modi Government.

He urged the senior naval leadership to maintain their focus on futuristic capability development, to ensure that the nation’s maritime power grows in tandem with the economic interests.

The minister added that he had commissioned INS Khanderi and witnessed the launch of Nilgiri last month. “These platforms bear testimony to the self-reliance in warship building that the nation has achieved,” Mr Singh said during the inauguration ceremony of Indian Navy Commanders’ Conference here.

He emphasised on the need to increase the indigenous content with respect to complex machinery and cutting-edge weapons and sensors urging all stakeholders to put in all-out efforts on these fronts.

The minister said he is confident that the Indian Navy will continue to perform the duty of safeguarding the maritime interests of the nation.

Mr Singh further added, for Indian economy to reach the Five Trillion Dollar mark by 2025 there is a requirement for a stable and balanced environment in which Navy has a crucial role to play in the form of safeguarding the Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) – the economic lifeline.

He noted that it was heartening to see the swift and calibrated manner in which the Navy launched 'Operation Sankalp', in wake of the incidents involving attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in May and June this year.

Escorting Indian Flagged Merchant Vessels through this energy lifeline of the country during ‘Operation Sankalp’, the Navy has emphatically reiterated its ability to defend India’s critical national interests, he said.

Speaking on Global terrorism, the minister stated that “it continues to be a challenge for all security forces and that sea routes have their own vulnerability. Post ‪26/11‬ Mumbai terror attacks, Navy have made concerted efforts to strengthen security and stability of our waters and coastal regions, and enhance inter-agency cooperation and coordination.”

He urged the Naval Commanders to continue reviewing procedures and strengthen the Coastal Security framework, so as to counter emerging threats and challenges, effectively.

Commending its role, he said, the Navy’s Anti-Piracy Patrol duties in the Gulf of Aden since 2008, have been successful in safeguarding our maritime interests, and contributed immensely to maintaining maritime security of the region, which is in consonance with the Prime Minister’s Vision.

Speaking on the announcement by the Prime Minister on the CDS (Chief of Defence Staff), he said that this would also improve the overall coordination amongst the three services.