Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday asserted that India has ensured that no one exercises hegemony in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), in an obvious reference to China’s continued attempts to browbeat its neighbours on maritime issues.

“India is ensuring that all the neighbouring countries of the Indian Ocean are helped in protecting their autonomy and sovereignty. We have ensured that rules-based maritime order is strengthened in the IOR,” he said inaugurating the new Administrative & Training building at the Naval War College (NWC) in Goa. The modern edifice, named the ‘Chola’, pays homage to the mighty maritime empire of the Chola dynasty of ancient India.

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Mr Singh described ”Chola Bhawan” as a symbol of the aspirations of the Navy and India’s legacy of maritime excellence. It is also a reflection of India’s new mindset of coming out of the mentality of slavery and feeling proud of its rich historical heritage, he added.

The minister also spoke about the shift in dealing with the threat perception under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is now covering land-based as well as maritime challenges. “Earlier, almost all the governments focused on strengthening land borders, but maritime threats were not given as much importance. In view of the increased movement of our adversaries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) & the commercial importance of the region, it was necessary to re-assess our threat perception and accordingly re-balance our military resources & strategic attention. Under the PM’s guidance, we not only re-imagined India’s role in the IOR, but also strengthened it. Due to these efforts, India has today emerged as the first responder and preferred security partner in the IOR,” he said.

Mr Singh highlighted that due to the Navy’s readiness, India is fulfilling its responsibility in the IOR by providing full assistance to the littoral countries. He stated that the Navy is ensuring that no country, with its overwhelming economic and military power, is able to assert dominance over friendly countries or threaten their sovereignty. The readiness with which the Navy stands with the country’s allies provides substantive strength to India’s global values, he said.

He pointed out that through the mantra of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, India has given to the world the unique value of taking everyone together. If India becomes stronger, not only the areas around it will progress, but democracy and rule of law will also be strengthened, he said.

Underlining the growing prowess of the Indian Navy on the back of a strong Naval industrial base, Mr Singh emphasised that the idea is not to achieve dominance, but to create an environment of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. “The increasing naval power not only protects us from our adversaries, but also provides an environment of security to other stakeholders in the Indian Ocean,” he said.