PMINDIA

Governor of Maharashtra C.P. Radhakrishnan Ji, the popular Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis Ji, my senior colleagues in the Council of Ministers, Mr. Rajnath Singh Ji, Sanjay Seth Ji, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, along with him today both our Deputy Chief Ministers are also there, Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Eknath Shinde Ji, Ajit Pawar Ji, CDS, CNS, all the Navy colleagues, all the colleagues working in Mazagon Dockyard, other guests, ladies and gentlemen.

15th January is also celebrated as Army Day. I salute every brave soldier who has dedicated his life to protect the country, I congratulate every brave man and woman engaged in protecting Mother India on this day.

Friends,

Today is a big day for India’s maritime heritage, the glorious history of the Navy and the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had given a new strength and a new vision to the Indian Navy. Today, on his holy land, we are taking a big step towards strengthening the 21st century Navy. This is the first time that a destroyer, a frigate and a submarine are being commissioned together. And the most proud thing is that these three Frontline Platforms are Made in India. I congratulate the Indian Navy, all the colleagues involved in their construction work, the engineers, the workers and the entire country.

Friends,

Today’s program connects our glorious heritage with the aspirations of the future. We have a rich history in long sea voyages, commerce, naval defense, ship industry. Taking inspiration from its history, today’s India is becoming a major maritime power in the world. The platforms launched today also reflect this. For example, our Nilgiri is dedicated to the maritime power of the Chola dynasty. Surat Warship reminds us of the period when India was connected to West Asia through the ports of Gujarat. These days, along with these two ships, the Vagsheer submarine is also being commissioned today. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to participate in the commissioning of Kalvari, the first submarine of the P75 class. Today I have had the privilege of commissioning the sixth submarine of this class, Vagsheer. These new frontier platforms will give new strength to both India’s security and progress.

Friends,

Today, India is being recognised as a reliable and responsible partner across the world and especially in the Global South. India works in the spirit of development, not expansionism. India has always supported an open, secure, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. Therefore, when it came to the development of countries bordering the sea, India gave the mantra SAGAR. SAGAR means Security And Growth for All in the Region. We moved ahead with the vision of SAGAR. When India was given the responsibility of assuming the Presidency of G-20, we gave the mantra to the world – One Earth One Family One Future. When the world was getting exhausted while fighting Corona, India gave the vision – One Earth One Health. We consider the whole world as our family. We believe in the principle of Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas. And therefore, India considers the defence and security of this entire region as its responsibility.

Friends,

In shaping global security, economics and geopolitical dynamics, a maritime nation like India is going to play a huge role. For economic progress and energy security, it is important that territorial waters are protected, freedom of navigation is ensured, and trade supply lines and sea routes are secure. We have to protect this entire region from terrorism, arms and drug smuggling. Therefore, it is important today that we become global partners in making the seas safe and prosperous, we work to increase the efficiency of logistics and for the shipping industry. We develop the capacity to prevent misuse of ocean resources like rare minerals, fish stocks and manage them. We invest in finding new shipping routes and sea lanes of communication. I am happy that today India is taking continuous steps in this direction. India has also emerged as the first responder in the entire Indian Ocean Region. In the last few months itself, our Navy has saved hundreds of lives, protected national and international cargo worth thousands of crores of rupees. This has increased the world’s trust in India, it has increased because of all of you, and that is why I congratulate all of you today. Trust in the Indian Navy and Coast Guard is also increasing continuously. Today you can also see that India’s economic cooperation with ASEAN, Australia, Gulf or African countries is continuously getting stronger. India’s presence in the Indian Ocean Region and its strength is a very big basis for this strengthening of relations. And that is why today’s event is equally important from the military point of view as well as from the economic point of view.

Friends,

It is one of the priorities of the country that the military capability of 21st century India should be more capable and modern. Be it water, land, sky, deep sea or infinite space, India is securing its interests everywhere. Reforms are being done continuously for this. The formation of the Chief of Defense Staff is one such reform. India is also moving forward in the direction of theater commands so that our forces are more efficient.

Friends,

The way the three armies of India have adopted the mantra of self-reliance in the last 10 years is very commendable. Understanding the seriousness of the need to minimise India’s dependence on other countries in times of crisis, all of you are taking this work forward and providing leadership. Our armies have prepared a list of more than 5 thousand such equipment and tools which they will no longer import from abroad. When an Indian soldier moves forward with equipment made in India, his confidence is also different. In the last 10 years, the country’s largest helicopter manufacturing factory has started in Karnataka. A factory manufacturing transport aircraft for the armies has started. The Tejas fighter plane has taken India’s reputation to new heights. The defence corridors being built in UP and Tamil Nadu are going to give further impetus to defence production. And I am happy that our Navy has also expanded the Make in India campaign to a great extent. All of you colleagues of Mazgaon Dockyard also have a very big role in this. In the last 10 years, 33 ships and 07 submarines have been inducted into the Indian Navy. Out of these 40 Naval Vessels, 39 have been built in Indian shipyards. This includes our magnificent and gigantic INS Vikrant aircraft carrier, and nuclear submarines like INS Arihant and INS Arighat. I heartily congratulate the three armies of the country for giving such a boost to Make in India. Today, India’s defence production has crossed Rs. 1.25 lakh crore. We are exporting defence equipment to more than 100 countries. I am confident that with your support, India will rapidly transform its defence sector.

Friends,

Along with increasing the strength of the Indian armed forces, Make in India is also opening new doors of economic progress. For example, the ship building ecosystem is an example. Many of you would know, experts also say that the more investment is made in ship building, the more positive impact it has on the economy. That is, if we invest Rs 1 in ship building, then around Rs 1.82 paise circulates in the economy. Just imagine, currently there are 60 big ships under construction in the country. Their value is around Rs 1.5 lakh crore. That is, by investing this much money, around Rs 3 lakh crore will circulate in our economy. And in terms of employment, it has a 6 times multiplier effect. Most of the material, most of the parts of the ships come from the MSMEs of the country. Therefore, if 2000 workers are engaged in the work of building a ship, then in the other industry, which is the MSME supplier, around 12 thousand jobs are created in that MSME sector.

Friends,

Today India is rapidly moving towards becoming the third largest economy of the world. Our manufacturing and exporting capacity is also increasing continuously. In the coming years, India will need hundreds of new ships and new containers. Therefore, this model of port led development is going to give impetus to our economy and create thousands of new employment opportunities.

Friends,

The number of sea-farers is also an example of how employment is increasing in this sector. In 2014, the number of sea-farers in India was less than 1.25 lakh. Today it has more than doubled to reach almost 3 lakh. Today India has come in the top-five in the world in the number of sea-farers.

Friends,

The third term of our government has started with many big decisions. We have made new policies at a fast pace, and started new works keeping in view the needs of the country. We are working with the goal of developing every sector and every corner of the country. The expansion of the port sector is also a part of this. One of the first big decisions of our third term was the approval of Vadhavan Port in Maharashtra. The construction work of this modern port has already started at a cost of Rs. 75 thousand crores. This will also create thousands of new employment opportunities in Maharashtra.

Friends,

For a very long time, not much attention was paid to the connectivity infrastructure related to the border and coastline. In the last ten years, unprecedented work has been done for this. Just two days ago, I had the opportunity to inaugurate the Sonamarg tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir. This will make it very easy to reach our border areas like Kargil, Ladakh. Last year, the Sela tunnel was inaugurated in Arunachal Pradesh. This is making the access of our army to the LAC easy. Today, work is going on rapidly on many critical infrastructure like the Shinkun La tunnel and Zojila tunnel. A network of excellent national highways is being built in the border areas through the Bharatmala project. The Vibrant Village Program is playing an important role in the development of border villages today. In the last decade, we have also focused on our far-flung islands. Regular monitoring of those islands where no one lives is also being done, not only this, now a new identity of that island is also being created, they are being given a new name. Not only this, the seamounts on the seafloor in the Indian Ocean are also being named. Last year, on India’s initiative, an international organization has named 5 such places. Ashok Seamount, Harshvardhan Seamount, Raja Raja Chol Seamount, Kalpataru Ridge and Chandragupta Ridge in the Indian Ocean are increasing India’s pride.

Friends,

We all know how important both space and the deep sea are in the future. That is why today India is increasing its capabilities in both space and deep sea. Our Samudrayaan project is going to take scientists to a depth of 6 thousand meters in the sea, where only a few countries have been able to reach. That means our government is leaving no stone unturned in working on any future possibility.

Friends,

For 21st century India to move ahead with full confidence, it is very important that we are free from the symbols of slavery. And our Navy has shown leadership in this too. The Navy has linked its flag to the glorious tradition of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Navy has also redesigned the epaulettes of Admiral rank according to the tradition of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The campaign of Make in India, the campaign of self-reliance of India also promotes freedom from the mentality of slavery. I am confident that all of you will continue to give such proud moments to the country, we have to do every work together that contributes to making India developed. Our responsibilities may be different, but everyone’s goal is the same – developed India. These new frontier platforms that the country has got today will strengthen our resolve.

And comrades,

If I want to talk about something light, it has been my experience that I have been to all the army programs and if anyone has the best arrangement for food, then it is the Navy, full of variety. Now today Surat has just been added to it, and we all know a saying, it is a very popular saying, and I would tell Captain Sandeep to listen to it carefully, that saying is – Food at Surat and Demise at Kashi (सूरत का जमण और काशी का मरण), is equally great. Now when Surat is being launched, I am sure Captain Sandeep will feed Surati food to the people.

Friends,

This is a very good occasion, the whole country is wishing you all the best, the whole country is filled with pride, and that is why, with a new confidence, with new zeal and enthusiasm, with a new resolve, we should join with full strength to fulfil the resolve of a developed India. On this occasion, I end my speech by congratulating all of you for these three important steps, for this important gift. Best wishes to all of you. Say with me with full strength-

भारत माता की जय

At least in this program this voice should resonate the most.

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भारत माता की जय

भारत माता की जय

Thank you very much.