Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the naval submarine INS Kalvari, the first of the Scorpene-class submarines this morning. The commissioning ceremony was held at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, which was attended by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and top defence officials.
INS Kalvari is a diesel-electric attack submarine that has been built for the Indian Navy by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. It is the first of six such submarines that will be inducted into the Indian Navy and represents a significant success for the Make in India initiative. The project has been undertaken with French collaboration.
The officials said, Kalvari underwent around 120 days of extensive sea trials and tests for various equipments and the vessel is expected to bolster India’s maritime prowess. The first Kalvari, commissioned on 8th December 1967, was also the first submarine of the Indian Navy. It was decommissioned on May 31, 1996 after nearly three decades of service.