Rajnath Singh: India will not tolerate piracy
Visakhapatnam: Lauding the Indian Navy for foiling five piracy attempts in the last few days and rescuing 80 fishermen and sailors besides assisting ships attacked by drones and missiles, Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said That piracy and smuggling will not be tolerated. under any circumstances. He said that this is the pledge of ‘New India’.
Speaking at the commissioning of INS Sandhyak, India’s first large survey ship, at the Naval Dockyard on Saturday, the Minister said, INS Sandhyak, the first of the SVL (Survey Vessel Large) class of ships, will further strengthen India’s role as a superpower. Will do. Help the Indian Navy in maintaining peace and security in the Pacific region. The survey ship will obtain information about the oceans and achieve the dual objective of protecting the country as well as others.
Referring to the recent drone attack on a British ship in the Gulf of Aden, he praised the Indian Navy for providing security not only to Indian ships, but also to ships of friendly countries.
INS Sandhyak will strengthen India’s role as a superpower in the Indo-Pacific: Rajnath
He said that the Indian Navy is facilitating secure trade in the Indian Ocean region while ensuring peace and prosperity. “Many defense experts are calling this the rise of a superpower. This is our culture – to protect everyone,” he said.
Drawing parallels between human development and the security aspect of the country, Rajnath pointed out, “By being dependent on the family in the early years, a child gradually becomes independent before he starts spreading knowledge in the society. Similarly, any country in the initial stage of its development remains dependent on other countries for security before developing its own security capability. “Then comes the third phase when it becomes so powerful that it not only protects its own interests but is able to protect its allies as well.”
He said that despite facing challenges on many fronts, after independence India kept moving forward for its security and kept protecting itself from threats.
“Today, as the country moves forward on the path of development, a navy stronger than ever is providing security as the first responder in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
Describing the Indian Ocean as a hotspot for global trade, the minister said, “Many choke points like the Gulf of Aden and the Gulf of Guinea exist in the Indian Ocean, through which a large amount of international trade takes place. “Many threats remain at these chokepoints, the biggest threat of which is from pirates.”
Reiterating India’s stance of maintaining freedom of navigation, trade and commerce between different countries, Rajnath said India is committed to eliminating anarchy not only from the region, but from the entire world.
“Our growing power is aimed at ensuring a rules-based world order. Our aim is to prevent illegal and unregulated fishing in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region. INS Sandhyak will play an important role in achieving our objective. The intention with which the Government is strengthening the Navy is to realize our destiny of becoming promoters of world peace,” he explained.
64 out of 66 ships and submarines are being built in Indian shipyards: Admiral Kumar
Speaking on the occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said that the SVL project highlights the growing importance being given by the Government and the Navy to the quintessential condition of working at sea – surveying the depths of the oceans.
To take advantage of the flexibility to perform a variety of roles and tasks, the Navy is launching state-of-the-art platforms, he said.
Pointing out that 64 of the 66 ships and submarines under order are being built in Indian shipyards, Admiral Kumar said, “This means that the Navy will invest thousands of crores of rupees in this sector, thereby enhancing the capacity of the shipyards and The capabilities of workers will increase.” And also for people working in supporting industries.”
The commissioning ceremony formally commissioned the first of the four ships of the SVL project under construction at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. The project is being carried out by the Warship Design Bureau of the Indian Navy. Its foundation stone was laid on March 12, 2019, and the ship was launched on December 5, 2021.
It has undergone an extensive schedule of trials in port and at sea, leading up to commissioning.
