NSA Doval commissions Coast Guard patrol vessel Sajag

-











In line with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of AtmaNirbhar Bharat, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval commissioned Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sajag through digital means and dedicated it to the nation for safeguarding the maritime interests on May 29, 2021.

OPV Sajag is constructed by M/s Goa Shipyard Limited. Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Indian Coast Guard Director General K Natarajan and CMD Goa shipyard Cmde BB Nagpal (Retd) were among those who attended the event.       

In his address, Ajit Doval said the concept of forming ICG came into being post 1971 war, when it was assessed that maritime borders are equally vital as land borders. The blueprint for a multi-dimension Coast Guard was conceived by the visionary Rustamji Committee even as the United Nations Convention of the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) was being negotiated and India’s assets off Mumbai high were growing. The ICG, which was created through an Act of Parliament in 1978, has traversed a long journey in the last four decades.

Ajit Doval commended Goa shipyard for indigenously developing ships for the Maritime Armed forces on time with state-of-the-art machinery and latest technology sensors and equipment that will enable ICG to undertake varied charter of duties within and beyond Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

ICG ships are being built within the country in various shipyards, including private yard in line with Government’s vision of ‘Make in India’. NSA was impressed to witness the ICG OPV Sajag, which was looking magnificent during the commissioning ceremony.

ICG is a multifarious force, undertaking concurrent operations and being the first responder for any developing situation at sea. Their personnel work in very diverse conditions and circumstances to safeguard the vast coastline. Doval lauded Coast Guard for the support to Coastal populace as also to undertake diverse roles like rescue operations during cyclones, marine pollution response and anti-narco operations.  He said the Indian Coast Guard has contributed significantly towards saving precious lives at sea in the recent disaster in Mumbai High.

Ajit Doval said ICG plays an important role for supporting the neighbouring countries in IoR. He added that this lean and visible service plays a critical role in anti-smuggling and anti-narcotics, both nationally and internationally. The service has recently undertaken various pollution response, firefighting and interdiction operations beyond IoR, when called upon by littoral countries.

Director General K Natarajan briefed the NSA about the massive firefighting operation being undertaken by the Indian Coast Guard onboard a container vessel X-Press Pearl off Colombo. Looking at the onsite clips, Doval praised the efforts of the service, showcasing its reach and professionalism.

Referring to ICG being the 4th largest in the world with almost 160 ships and 62 aircraft, he was pleased with the efforts of Ministry of Defence to make this maritime service as one of the premium Coast Guards of the world with 200 ships and 100 aircraft. 

The National Security Advisor said the nation feels confident with Coast Guard safeguarding nearly 7500 kms of coastline. He added that the future will see a more complex security scenario and ICG will have greater responsibilities in years to come as India’s maritime zones expand to include entitlements in the Extended Continental Shelf.

In his concluding remarks, Doval commended the present leadership of Indian Coast Guard and the highly motivated Tatrakshaks. He was confident that the service will gear-up for any challenge that comes its way in safeguarding India’s maritime interests.

Read more article ( NSA Doval commissions Coast Guard patrol vessel Sajag )

Comments

Post a Comment

If you have any doubt, let me know

Popular posts from this blog

Bigg Boss 15': Contestants face prize money deduction to re-enter house

-
Image
Mumbai In the last episode of 'Bigg Boss 15', contestants got a straightforward lesson from 'Bigg Boss' for not taking the game seriously. They were sent to the jungle and two eviction slots were opened. However, there is no end to the agony of 'Junglewasis' as they received yet another announcement. The contestants have been divided into pairs. Each pair has a chance to gain entry in the main house using the 'access ticket', but it comes at a cost. The pairs not only have to win the assigned task but also face a deduction of a certain amount from their prize money should they re-enter the main house. Moreover, the jungle will also start taking away the necessities required for survival. The contestants thus have no choice but to face the deductions and try to enter the main house. Jay Bahushali and Pratik Sehajpal, who have been rivals since day one, started working together as a team. They are on a mission to not let anybody win and Pratik starts ruini
Read more

Kalam's biographer has fond memories of his Guru

-
Image
Shreshtha Tiwari/Chennai Scientist Nellai S Muthu worked with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam for 40 years from 1963 to 1980. While Dr Kalam was the project director at ISRO, Muthu joined as a scientist in 1973. They remained in touch with each other even after Dr Kalam had moved to DRDO. Muthu has written and translated four books on Kalam. Muthu translated Kalam’s  India 2020 vision  in Tamil and also wrote a biography of Dr Kalam. He is one of the members of the Advisory board of the APJ Abdul Kalam Foundation. Going down the memory lane, Muthu says, “My first informal meeting with him was in Trivandrum (1989) during his visit to Vikram Sarabhai space centre visit. This was when ASLV underwent a failure. I had written a book called  Vanathai Allapom  (Measure the Sky) back then and had sent a copy of it to him. During this visit, he recalled the book during tea time. “Every time he visited Sriharikota during 1997-2008, I met him. Also during his visits to Chennai, we met. During one of his visit
Read more

Srinagar Church restoration brings hope to Valley

-
Image
Ehsan Fazili/Srinagar   In restoring and conserving a dilapidated, abandoned, and decaying Church, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation has not only revived a place of worship for the handful of local Christians but also preserved Valley’s architectural heritage and traditions of harmony. The 125-year-old Saint Luke’s Church in Dal Gate area, close to the Lake by that name, will have its first mass for the devout on Christmas after 30 years. The carol singing happened at its online inauguration by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha. The church was built in 1896 on the southwest slope of Shri Shankaracharya Hill on top of which is located the famous Shiva temple.   According to Athar Aamir Khan, Commissioner, Srinagar Municipality, a lot of credit for the restoration of this building goes to local artisans who reworked the Khatamband ceiling of this church, a unique feature of local art. Khatamband is a roof made of designer wooden tiles. The church building is otherwise a Gothic structure. An insid
Read more