India becoming major maritime power: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India is becoming a major maritime power and is being recognised as a reliable and responsible partner in the world.
Speaking after the commissioning of three naval warships — INS Surat, INS Nilgiri and INS Vaghsheer — in Mumbai, Modi said India has always supported an open, secure, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
Modi said India is working for development, and not expansionism.
In strategic-realm, the words ‘open, secure and inclusive’ in reference to the Indo-Pacific are used to show disagreement with China, its unilateral maritime claims and self-created no-fly zones over the South China Sea.
Modi said India is going to play a major role in giving a direction to the global security, economy and geopolitical dynamics.
“It is important to protect the territorial waters, freedom of navigation, and secure trade supply lines and sea routes,” he added.
The PM said there was a need to prevent the misuse of ocean resources like rare minerals and fish stocks and to develop the capacity to manage them. He said India's economic cooperation is with the ten-country ASEAN bloc, Australia, Gulf countries, and African nations.
“India is becoming a major maritime power and is being recognised as a reliable and responsible partner,” he added.
On the three warships, Modi said the INS Nilgiri shows the maritime prowess of the Chola dynasty while the INS Surat is reminiscent of the era when Gujarat's ports connected India to West Asia. He also mentioned the commissioning of the INS Vagsheer submarine, the sixth and last of the Kalvari class vessels.
The PM congratulated the armed forces for propelling the ‘Make in India’ campaign.
India's defence production has crossed Rs 1.25 lakh crore and defence equipment have been exported to more than 100 countries, he added.
There are currently, 60 large ships under construction in the country, valued at approximately Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
Defence Minister 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).
