Visakapatanam: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that Bharat won’t tolerate pirates and smugglers at any cost and that it is the pledge of ‘Nava Bharat’.
He was speaking on the occasion of the commissioning of INS Sandhayak, the first Survey Vessel Large (SVL) ship in Visakapatanam. Addressing the commissioning ceremony, the Defence Minister highlighted the power and prowess of the Indian Navy in terms of security and trade.
“If I talk about our naval power, the Indian Navy has become so strong that we have become the first responder in terms of security in the Indian Ocean and Indian Pacific region. If we talk about global trade, the Indian Ocean is anyway counted as a hotspot,” Rajnath Singh said.
“Many choke points like the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Guinea etc. are in the Indian Ocean, through which a large amount of international trade takes place. Many threats remain at these choke points, but the biggest threat that remains is that of pirates,” Singh added.
The Defence Minister also reiterated India’s intolerance for maritime piracy and smuggling and said, “I will again say that people involved in maritime piracy and smuggling will not be tolerated under any circumstances, this is the pledge of new Bharat.”
“We have rescued 80 fishermen recently, this is the intention and power of our Indian Navy. The aim of our growing power is to stop illegal and unregulated fishing in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region. The growing power of the Indian Navy is also stopping narcotics and human trafficking in this region,” he said.
The event was marked by the presence of Navy Chief R Hari Kumar and other senior Navy officers.
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