(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Giving a further push of doing away with the colonial tradition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced renaming the rank structure in the Indian Navy in sync with Indian culture.
The announcement was made when the prime minister was addressing the Indian Navy personnel on the occasion of Navy Day celebrations at Sindhudurg in Maharashtra. This is the second time that the Navy Day celebration was taken out of Delhi, with the first one at Visakhapatnam. Her sister organisations -- Indian Army and Indian Air Force -- have also been following the same practice to organise their annual day out of the national capital.

Inspired by the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, he said, the India of today is moving forward abandoning the slavery mentality.

Indian Navy officers will now highlight the heritage and legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the epaulettes donned by them. The new epaulettes will be similar to the naval ensign, which was unveiled by Modi during the commissioning of the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant into the force in September 2021.

The prime minister expressed happiness on this and also emphasized strengthening Nari Shakti in the armed forces. Further, he congratulated the Indian Navy on the appointment of India's first woman commanding officer in a naval ship.

Talking about the Sindhudurg Fort, the prime minister said it instils a feeling of pride in every citizen of India. He underlined Shivaji Maharaj's foresight in recognizing the importance of naval capabilities for any nation.

Reiterating Shivaji Maharaj's acclamation that those who have control over the seas hold the ultimate power, Modi said that he had drafted a powerful navy. Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised that it is essential for any major global power to possess a strong Navy; therefore, for a leader to upgrade Naval capabilities and provide them with the necessary resources to strengthen Swarajya, shows visionary statesmanship.

On "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" initiative, he said:“Earlier, most of the Navy's equipment imported, but today we have become 'builder Navy' from 'buyer Navy'. Today, we are transforming it from Coastal Navy to Blue water Navy. This transformation truly shows the visionary leadership of our Prime Minister.”

The Indian Navy celebrates 4th December as Navy Day every year to acknowledge the role of the Indian Navy and commemorate its achievements in 'Operation Trident' during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

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