The augmentation of India’s security capabilities has ensured that the country has not suffered any terrorist attacks by sea routes since the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.
Commissioning the seventh Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), ICGS Vigraha, built indigenously by Larsen & Toubro for the Indian Coast Guard, the Minister said the Coast Guard was continuously enhancing the capacity of the nation.
Lauding the Indian Coast Guard for its service, Mr. Singh said in the last two years, in cooperation with the neighbouring nations, the force had recovered goods worth more than ₹10,000 crore in anti-smuggling operations.
Mr. Singh said changes happening around the world would certainly impact the Indian Ocean region and also India, whose interests are directly linked to the Indian Ocean. “Changes happening around the world often become a matter of concern for us. We, as a nation, must keep our guards high during these times of uncertainties and upheavals around the world”.
The Minister said challenging times also provided an opportunity to India. The demand for military equipment was increasing continuously with reports suggesting that by 2023, the expenditure on security around the world would reach around $2.1 trillion and this was likely to increase further in the next five years, he said.
“In such a situation, today we have great scope to make full use of our capabilities, take advantage of policies, and move towards making the country an indigenous shipbuilding hub,” Mr. Singh said. The Indian government had already brought out such policies that would help the Indian industry, both public and private, to become world class players, he said.
Director General of ICG, K. Natarajan said the Coast Guard had 157 ships and 66 aircraft in its fleet. “Our endeavour is to have 200 ships and 100 aircraft by 2030,” he said. Mr. Natarajan said all its ships were built in India and the Advanced Light Helicopter Mk-III manufactured by HAL was a testimony to the fact. “Our capacity-building in all spheres is focussed on making our seas conducive for diverse maritime activities,” he said.
Chief of the Army Staff General M.M. Naravane, Tamil Nadu Minister for Industries Thangam Thennarasu, and Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu took part in the event.
ICGS Vigraha will be based out of Vishakapatnam and will operate on India’s Eastern Seaboard under the operational and administrative control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (East). The ship is commanded by Commandant P.N. Anoop and has 11 officers and 110 men.
