Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday commissioned three indigenously designed and built naval ships at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata.
The ships — INS Dunagiri, an advanced stealth frigate, INS Sanshodhak, a survey vessel (Large) and INS Agray, an anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft – hav
e been designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, and constructed by GRSE.
Calling it a milestone for India’s maritime security, Modi said strong maritime capabilities are a crucial factor in a country’s economic and strategic influence.
“No nation can become a big power without maritime prowess. Development, security and prosperity are tied to the seas,” he said.
Modi remarked that India does not want to remain only a buyer in defence sector. “The recognition of our capabilities lies in our self-reliance and not in becoming a market for the world,” he said.
The Prime Minister reminded the audience that India had demonstrated its maritime capabilities a few years ago by commissioning INS Vikrant, the aircraft carrier.
More than 40 warships and submarines have been commissioned in the last few years, and 45 large naval platforms are under construction, he informed.