Indian Coast Guard: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today inducted a new patrolling and surveillance ship Varaha in the country’s coast guarding force in Chennai on Wednesday. He also urged all the stakeholder agencies to work in close coordination to foil any repeat of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack like situation. He appealed them to maintain vigil to thwart any threat to India’s coastal areas from non-state and state sponsored actors.
“ICGS Varaha will further strengthen the Coast Guard fleet in responding to the threats of maritime terrorism, smuggling and challenges of maritime law enforcement,” said Rajnath Singh.
Talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), defence minister Rajnath Singh said that as a responsible maritime power, oceans have been at the top of Modi government’s policy priorities.
He hoped that ICGS Varaha will enhance the surveillance and patrolling capabilities of Indian Coast Guard and reinforce their role as ‘Sentinels of our Seas’.
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Defence minister Rajnath Singh described ICGS Varaha as a fine example of collaboration with industry and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship Make in India scheme where Larsen & Toubro (L&T) shipbuilding has played a very important role in production and maintenance of our sea-based assets.
“The name ‘Varaha’ is taken from Puranas, who was the third incarnation of Lord Vishnu which took the form of Boar to protect mother earth by carrying her out of the sea on his tusks. It reminds us of the principle of sacrifice and rescue in the duty of saving mother earth,” said defence minister Rajnath Singh.
Defence minster also stressed on the need to ensure availability of world class assets, both commercial vessels & warships, in adequate numbers to achieve maritime supremacy. He said, there is no other way of providing the needed numbers than having a strong and vibrant shipbuilding industry.
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“Great fleets cannot be just bought, they have to be built”, said defence minister Rajnath Singh.
Appreciating the important role played by private players in the indigenisation of shipbuilding technology, Shri Rajnath Singh urged them to develop naval equipment of stringent standards.
Defence minister said that the Modi Government has taken a conscious decision to encourage other shipyards, including private yards, to enter the specialised field of warship-construction. He termed the response as encouraging.
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“There are not many countries in the world having capability to produce such a wide variety of warships ranging from Fast Attack Craft to Aircraft Carrier”, added the defence minister.
