INS Kalvari best example of ‘Make in India’, says PM Narendra Modi

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, December 14

Presiding over the commissioning of Scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari into the Indian Navy on Thursday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a shining example of ‘Make in India’.

“This is the perfect example of ‘Make in India’. I wish to congratulate every worker, every employee whose sweat is involved in the creation of Kalvari,” Modi said in his speech.

The PM then thanked the Government of France for the technological assistance rendered for the construction of the submarine. The Scorpene-class submarines are designed by French company DCNS and are being built by the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai as part of the navy’s Project-75 programme.

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In his speech, Modi reiterated the importance of the Indian Ocean in global trade and commerce. “Development in the 21st century is taking place via the Indian Ocean and it occupies a special place in the government’s policies,” he said. India too was giving back to the world by playing a major role in tackling piracy, drug-smuggling and terrorism via the sea,” Modi added.

The PM said his government had been overhauling the defence sector. “For the past three years we have been restructuring the entire defence and security apparatus.....We have made an impact on the external and internal security of the country,” Modi said.

According to the Indian Navy, the Scorpene submarines incorporate a number of state-of-the-art features that improve movement undetected and launch attacks with precision-guided weapons.

INS Kalvari will be followed by INS Khanderi, which is currently undergoing trials.

INS Kalvari has an overall length of 67.5 metre and a height of about 12.3 metres. The hull form, fin and hydroplanes are specifically designed to produce minimum underwater resistance.

The boat has 360 battery cells, each weighing 750 kg, to power the extremely silent Permanently Magnetised Propulsion Motor. The stealth of the boat is further enhanced through the mounting of equipment inside the pressure hull on shock-absorbing cradles.

Other dignitaries who attended the function included Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and Vice Admiral Girish Luthra.