Prime Minister Narendra Modi today emphasized the importance of maritime strength in the modern world, stressing that strong maritime capabilities are deciding factor for country’s economic and strategic influence. He stated that India fully understands this reality and is preparing itself accordingly. Mr Modi was addressing the gathering after commissioning three indigenously designed and built naval ships – INS Dunagiri, an advanced stealth frigate, INS Sanshodhak, a large survey vessel and INS Agray, an anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata, West Bengal.
The Prime Minister said, no nation can emerge as a major power without strong maritime capabilities, adding that development, security and prosperity are closely linked to the oceans. He stressed that most of the world’s trade moves through sea routes, while vast global data networks operate beneath the oceans. He further noted that critical minerals, deep-sea resources and future sources of energy will increasingly be connected to the maritime domain. Mr Modi said, therefore, a nation’s economic and strategic influence is directly linked to the strength of its maritime sector.
Highlighting recent achievements, the Prime Minister highlighted that more than 40 indigenously built warships and submarines have been inducted into the Indian Navy over the past few years. He said, 45 major naval platforms are currently under construction. He said, these figures, are not merely statistics but indicators of India’s industrial capacity and future potential. He underlined the immense employment-generating potential of the maritime sector.
Referring to the three commissioned vessels, Mr Modi noted that more than 200 MSMEs contributed to their construction, generating substantial employment and economic activity across the country. The Prime Minister stated that the time has come for India to enter the next phase of maritime development. He said, the Government has adopted a new vision for the shipbuilding sector and has introduced several policy reforms in recent years to enhance domestic manufacturing capabilities.
Reflecting on India’s transformation in the defence sector, Prime Minister Modi observed that there was a time when India was counted among the world’s largest defence importers, creating both strategic and security challenges. Following the formation of the Government in 2014, he said, a determined effort was made to change this situation through major policy reforms and a strong emphasis on self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
He said, these efforts have opened new opportunities in defence design, manufacturing and exports. Mr Modi highlighted that while India’s total defence production stood at around forty thousand crore rupees in 2014, it has now risen to nearly 1.8 lakh crore rupees, demonstrating the significant progress made towards building a strong, self-reliant and globally competitive defence industry.
