By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Nov 8:
As part of community outreach activities for Navy Week 2021, Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command (WNC), hosted a meet with veteran naval officers at the Integrated Mess and Sports Complex (Dhanush), in South Mumbai on Sunday.
A large number of veterans and their spouses attended the event to not only reconnect with friends and colleagues in the Navy, but also reminisce on their service time, share experiences and strengthen their bonding with the naval fraternity. Vice-Admiral used the opportunity to inform veterans about the recent infrastructural developments and other initiatives taken by WNC towards providing better amenities and health care. He also appreciated veterans for their efforts in social service and urged them to continue to serve the society through various initiatives.
Many ‘help desks’ were set up on the occasion to enable veterans address their concerns and seek guidance on matters pertaining to the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme and their naval pension. An on- the-spot, digital life certificate submission counter was also set up to aid them obtain digital life certificates. SBI, PNB, Bank of Baroda, and HDFC also set up counters to help resolve any banking problems faced by the veteran community.
It has been the endeavour of the Navy to ensure always that veterans receive the help and help lines they may require to tide over institutional matters that bother them after their active duty service to the nation. The annual veterans meet was a manifestation of that objective, Vice-Admiral said.
Children visit Naval Dockyard
In another development as part of Navy Week 2021, the WNC organised an equipment and weapon display and kept open a frontline warship for school children to visit at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Sunday.
The equipment display comprised various weapons in the Indian Navy’s inventory and included surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, as well as torpedoes launched by ships, submarines and aircraft. Weapons used by marine commandos – like close quarter battle rifles, sniper rifles, automatic grenade launchers, etc – were also displayed at the event.
INS Trishul, a frontline stealth frigate of the Navy, was opened for the visit. School children were walked around the ship and briefed on her operational capabilities as well as the role played by the Indian Navy in maritime security of the nation.
Each year hundreds of school children and other guests visit naval ships on nominated days as part of Navy Week. Owing to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, only one ship was kept open this year and only a limited number of visitors were invited. The visit, however, was successful demonstrating to the next generation the operations and activities, as well as roles and relevance of the Indian Navy as an instrument of national policy and capability.
CAS, WNC
In the meanwhile last week Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan assumed charge as Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command. Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 01, 1987, Swaminathan is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare and an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla; the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham, United Kingdom; the College of Naval Warfare, Karanja; and the United States Naval War College, NewPort, Rhode Island, USA.
A recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal, he has held several key operational, staff and training appointments in his naval career including the command of missile vessels INS Vidyut and Vinash; the missile corvette, INS Kulish; the guided missile destroyer, INS Mysore and the aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya.
