India believes in ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ to focus on cooperative measures for sustainable use of oceans, President Ram Nath Kovind said today.
Speaking on the occasion of Presidential Fleet Review-2022 at Visakhapatnam, the supreme commander of the armed forces noted that a large part of global trade flows through the Indian Ocean Region. “A significant portion of our trade and energy needs are met through the oceans. Safety of the seas and of the maritime commons, therefore, remains a critical requirement,” he said.
The President said the Indian Navy’s constant vigil, prompt response to incidents and untiring efforts have been highly successful in this regard.
He noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Indian Navy has been providing aid to friendly nations by supplying medicines and evacuating stranded Indian citizens and foreign nationals in different parts of the world under ‘Mission SAGAR’ and ‘Samudra Setu’.
He said that the prompt and effective deployment of the Indian Navy in times of crisis has underscored India’s vision of being the ‘Preferred Security Partner’ and ‘First Responder’ in the Indian Ocean Region.
The President was happy to note that the Indian Navy was becoming increasingly self-reliant and has been at the forefront of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. He noted that about 70 per cent of the contents of several warships and submarines under construction in various public and private shipyards across the country were indigenous.
“It is a matter of great pride that India has built nuclear submarines and soon we would have our indigenously built aircraft carrier, ‘Vikrant’, joining the service,” he said. He added that the development of indigenous naval shipbuilding capabilities was an impressive contribution to the making of an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.