Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission three indigenously designed and built naval ships — INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak and INS Agray — at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port during his two-day visit to Bengal beginning Saturday.
Modi will begin his Bengal programme by attending Paschimbanga Divas celebrations at Tarakeswar on Saturday and address the gathering.
During the event, he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for multiple projects spanning railways, agriculture, rural development, fisheries and animal husbandry.
On Sunday morning, he will lead the 12th International Yoga Day celebrations from Red Road and address the participants.
Later in the day, Modi will commission the three naval ships.
Designed by the navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), the three vessels represent key operational capabilities across maritime combat, hydrographic surveying, and anti-submarine warfare.
The three platforms demonstrate indigenous shipbuilding ecosystem, with indigenous content exceeding 75%.
“They reflect the navy’s balanced approach to capability development, strengthening blue-water operations, enhancing maritime
domain awareness, and securing coastal waters against evolving threats,” the navy said.
Dunagiri, the fifth Project 17A stealth frigate, is equipped with advanced weapons and sensors, including BrahMos surface-to- surface missiles and the medium-range surface-to-air missile system, significantly enhancing the navy’s combat capability.
Sanshodhak, the fourth survey vessel (large), is designed for coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys and collection of oceanographic and geophysical data for defence and civil applications, and is equipped with advanced survey systems, including Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Remotely Operated Vehicles.
Agray, the fourth of the Arnala-class anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft, is equipped with lightweight torpedoes, indigenous rocket launchers, and shallow-water sonar systems to detect and engage underwater threats in littoral waters.
Scheme instalment
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), in Tarakeswar on Saturday, Modi will release the 23rd instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). Under this instalment, more than ₹18,880 crore will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of over 9.44 crore farmers across the country.
In Bengal alone, more than ₹900 crore will be credited to over 45 lakh beneficiaries, taking the cumulative disbursement under the scheme in the state to over ₹15,000 crore, while the total national disbursement since the scheme’s launch in 2019 will cross ₹4.46 lakh crore, the PMO said in a statement.
The Prime Minister will also launch several agriculture-focused initiatives in the state, including the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Agri Stack under the Digital Agriculture Mission, the National Mission on Natural Farming, and the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana.
PM Modi will also inaugurate the modernised and capacity-expanded fishing harbour at Fraserganj in South 24-Parganas and the newly constructed modern fish market at Sainthia, Birbhum.
“These projects will strengthen fisheries infrastructure, improve post-harvest management and provide better marketing facilities for fish producers and traders,” the PMO said.
Conventional warfare
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said conventional warfare and means are still relevant today as they were in 1947, despite evolving security threats and new forms of warfare.
“We often say that the war is changing forms, borders are blurring, enemies are going undetectable, leaving armies standing….. Still, conventional warfare and means are as relevant as they were in 1947. Even in 2047, they will continue to be relevant as they are today,” he said while speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony for a 10,000-tonne aluminium extrusion press at the state-owned Yantra India Limited (YIL) in Nagpur.
Singh underscored the importance of strengthening indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities to face future challenges.