By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, March 07
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the operational capabilities of the Indian Navy during the Naval Commanders’ Conference held on board India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on March 06, Monday.
Singh interacted with the Naval Commanders and witnessed the operational demonstrations at sea, highlighting the Navy’s capability to undertake multi-dimensional missions towards safeguarding the maritime interests of the country.
The operational demonstrations witnessed by the Singh included complex Aircraft Carrier and Fleet operations, weapon firings by ships and aircraft and Underway Replenishment at Sea. In addition, a demonstration of indigenous products, including spotter drone, was witnessed by Singh. The strides taken by the Indian Navy towards “pole-vaulting” the technological curve, through indigenous sources in the domains of Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Laser technology and cryptography were also demonstrated.
In his address to the Commanders, Singh lauded the Navy for standing firm and protecting national interests with courage and dedication. He exhorted them to continue focus on futuristic capability development to effectively overcome the emerging security challenges in the maritime domain. “Future conflicts will be unpredictable. The constantly-evolving world order has forced everyone to re-strategise. Constant vigil on the Northern and Western borders as well as the entire coastline must be maintained. We need to be ready to deal with all future challenges,” he said.
“In the next 5-10 years, orders worth over $100 billion are expected to be placed through the defence sector and it will become a major partner in the economic development of the country. Today, our defence sector is on the runway, soon when it takes off, it will transform the country’s economy. If we want to see India among the top economic powers of the world by the end of “Amrit Kaal”, we need to take bold steps towards becoming a defence superpower,” the Singh said.
The word “Amrit Kaal” has its origin in Vedic astrology. It is the critical time when the gates of greater pleasure open for the inhuman, angels and human beings. In modern terms it aims to usher in the latest technology and digitization and reduce government interference in public life.
Singh also made special mention of the credible and responsive presence of the Navy in the Indian Ocean Region. He stated that Mission-Based Deployments of the Navy have strengthened India’s position as a “Preferred Security Partner” of friendly foreign countries in the region.
He termed the recent announcement of earmarking record 75% of the defence capital procurement budget for domestic industry in 2023-24 as a testament to the Government’s firm commitment to achieve self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
Singh reiterated the need for a huge country like India to be completely self-reliant and not dependant on others for its security. He listed out numerous steps taken by the Government to achieve ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence, including notification of four Positive Indigenisation Lists, increase in FDI limit and creating a favourable environment for Indian vendors including MSMEs.
