Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the new Administrative & Training building at the Naval War College (NWC), Goa on March 05, 2024. The modern edifice, named the ‘Chola’, pays homage to the mighty maritime empire of the Chola dynasty of ancient India. In his address, the Raksha Mantri lauded the Navy for creating a world-class state-of-the-art training facility that resonates with India’s stature among the maritime powers of the world. Rajnath Singh described Chola Bhawan as a symbol of the aspirations of the Navy and India’s legacy of maritime excellence. It is also a reflection of India’s new mindset of coming out of the mentality of slavery and feeling proud of our rich historical heritage – a clarion call made by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort, he added.
The Raksha Mantri also spoke about the shift in dealing with the threat perception under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, which is now covering land-based as well as maritime challenges. “Earlier, almost all the governments focused on strengthening land borders, but maritime threats were not given as much importance. In view of the increased movement of our adversaries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) & the commercial importance of the region, it was necessary to re-assess our threat perception and accordingly re-balance our military resources & strategic attention. Under the Prime Minister’s guidance, we not only re-imagined India’s role in the IOR, but also strengthened it. Due to these efforts, India has today emerged as the first responder and preferred security partner in the IOR,” he said. The Raksha Mantri added that it has been ensured that rules-based maritime order can be strengthened in the IOR. “India is ensuring that all the neighboring countries of the Indian Ocean should be helped in protecting their autonomy and sovereignty. We have ensured that no one exercises hegemony in the region,” he said.
