Kolkata, June 21 (IANS). Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched three indigenously designed and built warships INS Dunagiri, INS Modhik and INS Agray at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port in Kolkata. He said that the stronger the maritime power of the country, the stronger its economic and strategic influence will also be. India is preparing itself for this.
Addressing the program, Prime Minister Modi said that today June 21 is also celebrated as World Hydrographic Day (WHD). It is a wonderful coincidence that today we have commissioned India’s most advanced hydrographic survey ship ‘INS Modihar’. He said that INS Agray, INS Dunagiri and INS Modhik have been inducted into the Indian Navy.
PM Modi said that the world is witness to the fact that no nation can become a great power without maritime capability. Development, security and prosperity are linked to the sea. Today most of the world’s trade takes place through sea routes. Vast networks connecting the world pass under the sea. In the coming time, important minerals and sources of new energy will also be connected to the sea. The stronger the maritime power of the country, the stronger its economic and strategic influence will also be. India understands this reality very well. India is preparing itself for this.
In his address, PM Modi said, “Today’s event is a testimony to what our capabilities and skills are. Some time ago, when we dedicated INS Vikrant to the nation, India had announced a new chapter of its maritime power. That was a declaration of India’s power in front of the world.”
He said that the journey from INS Vikrant to today is not just the journey of new warships. This is India’s journey towards increasing self-reliance. Today INS Agray, INS Dunagiri and INS Modihar are giving new impetus to the same journey.
PM Modi said that the three warships are also symbols of three important resolutions of India. They have been manufactured in India, their design has been prepared in India, the talent of Indian industries has been used in their construction, the skill of Indian engineers has been used, the hard work of Indian workers has been used and this is the biggest strength of the new India.
He said that today India does not want to remain just a buyer in the defense sector. Our military power cannot become a market for the world. My strength is not identified with becoming a global market, but it is identified with self-reliance. India wants to become a producer and the day it becomes a producer, it will also be a judge. India is also moving rapidly in this direction. Over the years, more than 40 ‘Made in India’ warships and submarines have been commissioned into the Navy. Almost every few weeks the Indian Navy has got a new power. Currently, 45 large naval platforms are also under construction. These are not just numbers, but proof of India’s industrial potential and an indication of India’s future.
Prime Minister Modi said that India’s maritime sector has the potential to create millions of jobs in the coming years. This is why we do not consider the maritime region as just an isolated area. We see it as the employment engine of developed India. A modern ship requires hundreds of tons of steel, electronics, machinery, thousands of parts and thousands of companies working behind it. It is clear from this that thousands of youth also get employment.
–IANS
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