Kolkata, August 18, Jankranti News,: — A new warship has joined the Indian Navy.  INS Vindhyagiri was launched by President Draupadi Murmu on August 17th.  The stealth warship will give the Indian Navy more control over territorial waters.  As part of his visit to West Bengal, President Draupadi Murmu formally launched the Vindhyagiri warship into the sea waters at the public sector Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Limited on the banks of the Hubli River.  Speaking on the occasion, President Murmu said that it is a pleasure to participate in the inauguration of INS Vindhyagiri.  Moreover.. President Draupadi Murmu described this as an opportunity to further expand the capabilities of the Indian Navy.  Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also participated in this inaugural function.

 ‘Vindhyagiri’ is the name of a mountain range in the state of Karnataka.  This is the sixth warship built as part of ‘Project 17A’.  The previous warship of the same name served for 31 years.  Till 2012 it participated in many complex operations and demonstrated its capabilities.  On the other hand, before handing over this ship to the navy, the officials said in a statement that they will be tested in various ways on a wide scale.  Meanwhile.. all the ‘P17A’ ships have “guided missile” capability.  Each vessel is 149 meters in length.  With a weight of 6,670, they can travel at a speed of 28 knots, an official said.  On the other hand, these.. Defense Department said that these will respond to the challenges faced from the ground, sky and water.

Keeping China and Pakistan in mind, India has undertaken a special project called Project 17 Alpha (P17A).  As part of this, 7 state-of-the-art ships are being built.  So far 5 warships have entered the sea, of which ‘INS Vindhyagiri’ is the sixth warship, China has the largest navy in the world with 355 warships.  Moreover, China is also encouraging and providing cooperation to Pakistan in the manufacture of warships.  And China is challenging India.  India is now massively expanding its navy, especially in the face of China’s hegemonic tendencies in the Indian Ocean.

 —- M Venkata T Reddy, News Editor, MP Jankranti News