Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that if India is increasing its strength, it is doing so not only for itself but also for its friends. Singh was speaking at the launch of Project 17A Frigate Doonagiri at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited in Kolkata. Singh said the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and other organizations need to improve the infrastructure to be at the forefront of meeting the emerging challenges.
Singh also said that the Center is extending “all possible help” to Sri Lanka amid the crisis the country is facing. “India seeks friendly relations with all its neighbours. India is making continuous efforts for this. Be it Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Maldives or Bangladesh, we have maintained our warm and strong relations with all. You are all aware of the difficult situation Sri Lanka is going through today. Although India has also been affected by this COVID-19 epidemic and Ukraine situation, we are giving all possible help to our friend Sri Lanka.”
Singh called the launch of Doonagiri a “great achievement” and said that such a capable warship “reflects the growing indigenous design prowess of our Navy and the high technical prowess of Indian shipyards, ancillary industries and MSMEs i.e. our “self-reliance”.