Dhankhar said, “I am sure that after the launch, ‘Mahendragiri’ will proudly fly the tricolor at sea as an ambassador of India’s maritime power.”
He said, “I congratulate our security forces with full confidence. They will continue to improve themselves in a big way to protect the world.
“With a strong presence of over 10,000 women personnel in the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Indian Armed Forces has also made great strides towards gender equality,” she said.
Describing the commissioning of ‘Mahendragiri’ as a significant milestone in the maritime history of the country, he said, “This is the seventh and last warship of the fleet of Nilgiri class warships built under ‘Project 17-A’.”
“As part of our firm commitment to self-reliance, 75 per cent of the orders for the ‘Nilgiri’ range of equipment and systems were awarded to indigenous companies,” he said.
Dhankhar said that the launch of ‘Mahendragiri’ is a fitting example of the unparalleled progress our nation has made towards naval self-sufficiency.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said Mahendragiri would prove valuable to the growing fleet of the Navy. “The vessel’s versatility, mobility, reach and flexibility will make Mahendragiri a unique weapon of India’s maritime power,” he said.
Appreciation of Make in India
Dhankhar also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. He said that India has emerged as a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific region.
Traditional Security Challenges Remain: Admiral R Hari Kumar
Admiral Kumar said that the commissioning of the warship has come at an important time. He said that to sustain the ambitious pace of the nation, the need for an assured security umbrella is very important. He said traditional security challenges in the Indian Ocean region and the Indo-Pacific region persisted. He said the threat of non-traditional challenges such as piracy, drug trafficking and natural disasters also persisted. He said the Navy, inspired by Prime Minister Modi’s vision of ‘Sagar’, is active not only in advancing, protecting and promoting India’s national maritime interests, but also in countering security threats affecting all in the region. Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were also present at the launch ceremony.
SAIL supplied 28,000 tonnes of steel
The Steel Authority of India also provided similar quantities of special steel for the construction of the sixth warship named “Vindhyagiri”, which was recently launched by the President of India, Draupadi Murmu. The P17 A project involves the construction of a total of four vessels by M/s Mazagon Dock Limited and three vessels by M/s GRSE. Mazagon Dock Limited launched three vessels between September 2019 and September 2022, while M/s GRSE successfully launched three vessels between December 2020 and August 2023. Sail’s contribution in terms of steel supply for these ships is about 28,000 tonnes.
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* SAIL supplied 4000 tonnes of special steel for construction of indigenous warship “Vindhyagiri”.
* Naval exercises in the Arabian Sea amid growing challenges from China in the Indian Ocean