Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State for Defence interacted with the Senior Naval Leadership during the Bi-annual Naval Commanders Conference which commenced at New Delhi on September 4, 2023. Having shifted the venue of Commanders Conference outside Delhi wef 2023, wherein the first edition was conducted onboard INS Vikrant in March 2023, the second edition that started today is to review the status of decisions taken during the first edition. During his interaction, Minister of State for Defence commended the Navy for maintaining a high Operational tempo in ensuring secure seas for national security and prosperity. He praised the Navy for the efforts invested towards indigenisation and innovation towards becoming a fully Aatmanirbhar Force by 2047, which was exemplified during the recent launch of indigenous stealth frigates Vindhyagiri and Mahendragiri. He also appreciated the Navy for undertaking steady initiatives in line with the Paanch Pran enunciated by the PM (Extracts of Minister of State for Defence Speech).

Tech Demo - The ongoing and planned indigenous projects of the Indian Navy utilising niche technologies in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Tactical Communications, Combat Management Systems, Cyber Security, Underwater Domain Awareness and Combat Platform Integration, were showcased at the conference. In addition, the newly designed uniform items being introduced in Service for enhanced comfort, hygiene and functionality, viz. high absorption T-shirts, camouflage cap and jacket, high ankle shoes, and National Civil Dress for Messes/ functions were displayed on the sidelines of the conference.

The Minister of State for Defence also released the Maritime Infrastructure Perspective Plan 2023-37, IRS Rules and Regulations Handbook, Family Logbook, and Electronic Service Document Project during the event.

The MIPP aims to synchronise and enmesh the infrastructure requirements of the Navy, over the next 15 years, through a comprehensive Perspective Plan model. The Plan Document is aligned with the GoI vision on creation of sustainable infrastructure, and encompasses salients for compliance with broader policy directives on PM Gati Shakti Project, Disaster Resilience, Transition to Net Zero, among others.

The IRS Rules and Regulations Handbook for Construction and Classification of Naval Combatants has been revised since previous edition of 2015 to cater for technological advancements and Aatmanirbharta. The new rule book represents the self-reliance in Naval shipbuilding industry.

The Family Logbook for Defence Civilian Personnel of Indian Navy is a personal financial record book for reference of families of naval civilian personnel, which provides important financial information on insurance, loans, investments etc. This will serve as a ready reckoner in times of emergency in the family, mishaps, accidents, etc.

The Electronic Service Document Project will transform the HR record keeping and management of Naval personnel into an efficient, digital, centralised and transparent process in line with the Digital India Vision.

In his Opening Remarks Adm R. Hari Kumar, CNS highlighted that “As an instrument of nation's maritime power, we must accomplish every mission and each task that comes our way. Second, we must be ready for the heavy lifting in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond, in pursuance of the vision SAGAR. Third, as the cutting edge of our rising Nation, we must embrace larger societal changes that are happening around us. Fourthly, we are working closely with the CDS and the other two services to progress jointness and integration to meet challenges of the future.”