Russia-Ukraine war shows necessity of self-reliance: Rajnath Singh

He said he was conscious of the importance of long-term funding for the sustained growth of the Navy and the Navy’s consistent performance in optimally utilising the allocated budget.

“The endeavours of the Navy to meet all commitments and remain combat-ready, despite various challenges, are well appreciated,” Singh said.

Addressing the Navy’s top brass on the concluding day of the Naval Commanders’ Conference, which began on April 25, Singh said he was “cognisant that India’s maritime character and its vital geo-strategic location have played a primary role in our growth as a nation and evolution as a civilisation”. With increasing dependence on the seas for national development and engagement with the world, he added, the Navy continued to protect India’s maritime interests and enabled a safe and secure environment in the region.

“Over the years, the Navy has maintained a high tempo of operations and has established a credible and responsive presence in the Indian Ocean Region through mission-based deployments, which reaffirm Navy’s position as a preferred security partner in the region,” Singh said.

The ongoing Russia and Ukraine conflict had again highlighted that being self-reliant without dependencies was a vital necessity, he said, adding that the Navy had been at the forefront of the government’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” project and must continue to lead the way and remain a necessary guarantor of India’s maritime trade, security and national prosperity.

He said the Navy had re-invested 64 per cent of its capital budget into the domestic economic and the percentage share of modernisation budget was bound to grow up to 70 per cent towards indigenous procurement in the current financial year.

“It is heartening that out of 41 ships and submarines that are on order, 39 are being built in Indian shipyards. While the Navy has been at the forefront of indigenisation, it is important for us to leverage on the momentum that we have gained thus far. I urge the senior leadership to maintain their focus on futuristic capability development, to ensure that the nation’s maritime power grows in tandem with our economic interests,” he said. He also mentioned the country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), Vikrant, that would be commissioned this year, calling it a “milestone event”. “The ship has successfully completed three sea trials and “all-out efforts need to be made so that the ship is delivered and commissioned in the 75th year of our Independence,” he said.