Mumbai, January 15: The commissioning of three frontline naval combatants is a testimony to the growing strength of India in Indian Ocean Region, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday during the induction of one submarine and two navy ships in Mumbai city.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the commissioning of INS Surat, INS Nilgiri and INS Vaghsheer at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajnath Singh described the commissioning of INS Surat, INS Nilgiri and INS Vaghsheer as historic, and a testimony to the growing strength of not just the Indian Navy, but the country as a whole in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
He highlighted the importance of IOR from a geo-strategic and economic point of view, and its growing relevance in today's rapidly changing environment.
Singh said, "A large part of the world's trade and commerce passes through IOR. Due to geo-strategic reasons, the region is also becoming a part of the international power rivalry. Attempts are made for illegal activities such as drug trafficking, narcotics, smuggling, illegal fishing, human trafficking and terrorism. India has had geo-strategic and economic interests in IOR for a very long time.
"Even today, 95 per cent of India's trade, in terms of volume, is linked to this region. In such a situation, the presence of a strong Indian Navy in IOR becomes our biggest priority. The commissioning of three modern platforms today is an important milestone towards achieving our goal," he said.
He emphasised that strengthening the country's security system and achieving self-reliance in the defence sector has always been the priority of the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He stated that the Ministry of Defence is surging ahead by implementing the Prime Minister's mantra of 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence. "Over 75 per cent of the content of INS Surat and INS Nilgiri has been developed in India itself. Indigenous content is also increasing continuously in other platforms being manufactured within the country," he added.
On defence modernisation, which is another focus area of the Government, Raksha Mantri asserted that the three Naval combatants are fully equipped with state-of-the-art systems/technologies, which makes these platforms fully capable of dealing with any situation. "On one hand, we are producing big platforms within the country, on the other, our focus is on low cost and high impact systems, which can make our Armed Forces more potent in a short time. Thus, in the process of rapid modernisation of our forces, we are bringing a balanced mix," he said.
On 2025 being declared the 'Year of Reforms' in the Ministry of Defence, Singh voiced the resolve to work on the reforms necessary for the Ministry and the three Services. He exuded confidence of implementing many reforms by the end of year, which would take India's defence sector to greater heights.
