Maritime prowess key to great nation status: PM

Underlining that strong maritime prowess and capability are the deciding factors for a nation’s economic and strategic influence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday here said India recognises this and is preparing for it.

Making this assertion here after commissioning three indigenously built naval ships at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, he also said India does not want to remain only a buyer country in the defence sector, and the nation’s armed forces cannot become just a market for the world.

“The recognition of our capabilities lies in our self-reliance and not in becoming a market for the world,” he said. “No nation can become a big power without maritime prowess. Development, security and prosperity are tied to the seas. A country with maritime capabilities is strong and has more economic and strategic influence,” Modi said. He said India understands this reality well and is preparing itself for it.

The PM commissioned the indigenously built stealth frigate Dunagiri, survey vessel Sanshodhak and anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft Agray. He said the frontline platforms represent key operational capabilities across maritime combat, hydrographic surveying and anti-submarine warfare. Modi said India demonstrated its maritime capabilities a few years ago by commissioning the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, was commissioned in 2022.

West Bengal Governor RN Ravi, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, and Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan were among the dignitaries present at the commissioning event.

PM said India’s journey from INS Vikrant to this date is not just about new warships but towards increasing self-reliance. The PM said the commissioning of INS Agray, INS Dunagiri and INS Sansodhak is giving momentum to that journey. “These three ships were designed and built in India and represent the country’s talent,” he said.

Asserting that India is transforming itself fast from a buyer country to a builder country, he said, “We will be the decider the day we become a builder.”

Modi said that since 2014, his Government has taken major policy-level reform initiatives to overcome these issues. He said over 40 warships and submarines have been commissioned in the last few years, and 45 large naval platforms are under construction. These are not just numbers but proof of India’s industrial capacity and an indication of the country’s future, he said.

The PM said Indian enterprises, engineers and workers were involved in the construction of the three naval platforms commissioned on Sunday. The vessels were designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by Kolkata-based Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd.

These platforms have indigenous content exceeding 75 per cent, with extensive participation by the Indian industry, including more than 200 MSMEs, in their construction, an official said.

The PM said the Government views the maritime sector as “developed India’s employment engine” as it can create lakhs of jobs.

“The time has come for India to enter the next phase of maritime power, and that is why the country has started moving ahead with a new vision for the shipbuilding industry,” he said.

Stating that several policy reforms have been implemented in recent years, the PM said special initiatives have been taken to increase domestic production. He said shipbuilding, repair, recycling and MRO (maintenance, repair and operation) are being viewed as an important national mission. The PM said the Rs 70,000 crore financial package for the shipping sector is not just an economic decision, but an investment in India’s maritime future and industrial expansion.

The PM said security is necessary for protecting prosperity and self-reliance is a must for charting the future. Modi said that the three commissioned naval platforms are the symbols of an India that recognises its capabilities in the 21st century and believes in its own strength, and is continuously moving forward with confidence.

The PM said that in a modern ship, thousands of tonnes of steel, electronics, machinery and components are required and numerous companies work for manufacturing these, thus providing employment to thousands of youths.

Modi said India has been expanding new river waterways and developing multi-modal logistics network. He said the Sagarmala project is aimed at catalysing port-led economic prosperity.