India Seriously Considering Blue Water Navy After Operation Sindoor; Parliamentary Panel Discusses...
Apart from the members, the meeting was attended by Defence Secretary, Secretary (East) in MEA and Vice Chief of Navy. The agenda of the meeting was 'Evaluation of India's Indian Ocean Strategy' with representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Defence to give oral evidence for examination of the subject.
Tharoor described the discussion as "outstanding" and said every one of the committee members present asked questions. "We had an ongoing subject called India's Indian Ocean Strategy, which is a foreign policy subject that has important defence dimensions. We also had the Defence Secretary and the Navy present to brief us. The discussions were outstanding. We spent more than two-and-a-half hours in serious conversation on various aspects, which you will see in the report submitted to Parliament. We were blessed to have the Vice Chief of the Navy, the Defence Secretary, and the Secretary East of the Ministry of External Affairs. It was a very thorough discussion," Tharoor said.
"Every single one of the committee members present asked questions... It's a tremendous sense of involvement in this discussion. We'll have a good report coming out of this very comprehensive discussion... All of this (Blue Water Navy) was discussed... The whole idea of the Blue Water Navy, our military capacity beyond that, everything was thoroughly discussed," he added.
The MPs present at the meeting included BJP's Nishikant Dubey, Arun Govil and RPN Singh and Congress MP KC Venugopal. The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) had last month hosted the "Second Blue Talks" in the national capital. The event was hosted in collaboration with the Embassy of France and the Embassy of Costa Rica in India.
India's maritime heritage is deeply rooted in its ancient traditions and rich history, with references to maritime activities found as early as the Rig Veda. Evidence from Indian literature, art, sculpture, painting, and archaeology underscores the existence of a vibrant maritime tradition that shaped the nation's identity.
Modern India's maritime prowess manifests across all domains with its impressive 7,500 km coastline, 13 major ports, and 200 non-major ports, establishing it as an undisputed maritime powerhouse. Indian port's remarkable annual handling cargo capacity underscores the maritime sector's pivotal role in our economic landscape. The maritime sector facilitates around 95% of India's trade volume, and that accounts for 70% of its value, capitalising on the country's strategic Indian Ocean position. India's Navy is a full-fledged "Blue Water Force with Green Footprint".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
29 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Fisherfolk block railway track at Thangachimadam; train delayed by an hour
Fishermen along with family members demanding immediate release of the fishermen languishing in Sri Lanka prisons, blocked the railway the track near Thangachimadam for about an hour here on Tuesday. As a continuation to the indefinite strike which started on August 11, 2025, following the arrest of seven Indian fishermen from Rameswaram by Sri Lankan Navy on August 9, the fishermen associations and families of fisherfolk community, as announced, blocked the railway track at Thangachimadam. Due to the blockade, the Tambaram-bound train from Rameswaram was delayed by about an hour, said police sources. However, the protesters, following talks with the District Revenue Officer and Superintendent of Police, dispersed. Jesu Raja, a fishermen leader, said the officials assured them that their grievance was already taken to the officials in the Union government. 'Also, we were informed that we would soon be given a date to meet Chief Minister M.K. Stalin,' he added. Though the motive of the protesters was not to disturb the public in any way, due to their inability to express their anger and grievance, they resorted to blocking the train, he stated. Their strike would continue in the following days until a unanimous decision was taken by the fishermen associations, he noted.
India.com
29 minutes ago
- India.com
Steady Progress Guided By Respect: PM Modi After Meeting Chinese FM Wang Yi
India-China Ties: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi, where the two leaders discussed bilateral relations. PM Modi said that he is looking forward to the next meeting in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO summit. PM Modi hailed the progress made in India-China ties since his meeting with President Xi Jinping in Kazan last year. "Glad to meet Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Since my meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, India-China relations have made steady progress guided by respect for each other's interests and sensitivities. I look forward to our next meeting in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit," said PM Modi on X. Also Read: Jaishankar-Wang Yi Meeting: China Urges India To End Ties With Taiwan; New Delhi Holds Mirror To Beijing The Prime Minister further said that stable India-China ties will help in global peace and prosperity. "Stable, predictable, constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and prosperity," said PM Modi on X. Glad to meet Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Since my meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, India-China relations have made steady progress guided by respect for each other's interests and sensitivities. I look forward to our next meeting in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 19, 2025 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in India on Monday for a two-day visit. Earlier he met External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. Earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed optimism in the India-China ties and said that it gives great importance to the Prime Minister's visit to China to attend the SCO Summit. He said that the bilateral relationship is facing an important opportunity of improvement and growth, saying that a healthy and stable India-China relationship serves the fundamental and long-term interests of both of our countries. Wang Yi made the initial remarks during his special representatives meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. "The Chinese side attaches great importance to the Prime Minister's visit to China to attend the SCO summit at our invitation. We believe that the Indian side will also make your contribution to a successful summit in Tianjin", Wang Yi said.
The Hindu
29 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Why there are no Tibetan terrorists: a refugee poet's lessons on love and exile
Why is it that, despite losing over a million people, witnessing the destruction of 6,000 monasteries, and enduring exile for decades, the world has never seen a Tibetan terrorist? The answer, says Tenzin Tsundue, lies in Buddhism's insistence on love and compassion, even towards oppressors. 'Our spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, tells us that China, our enemy, is our teacher,' Mr. Tsundue explains. 'If the oppression had not been so brutal, Tibetans might not have developed our practice of compassion to this depth. It is what allowed us not only to survive, but to flourish as a refugee community. That is our greatest victory.' For Mr. Tsundue, one of the most recognisable Tibetan-origin Indian poet and activist, exile has been a lifelong condition. 'Exile is like that space in Buddhism between death and rebirth. You are not here, not there. Physically uprooted, but never able to settle.' Refugee parents Born in India to refugee parents, Mr. Tsundue has been arrested 16 times for his activism. 'Maybe I am the most jailed writer,' he says with a wry smile. 'Even when the Chinese President visits India, I get jailed. I take pride in that. It means I have not stopped fighting for freedom.' Yet his weapon is not violence, but words. After a lonely childhood in boarding schools and a failed attempt to enter Tibet—where he was beaten, jailed, and expelled for 'not belonging'—Mr. Tsundue turned to poetry. 'There is a problem in our hearts,' he reflects. 'A confusion, a neglect that cannot be spoken fully in words. Poetry allows me to imagine, to say what is otherwise unsayable. It is our most powerful language.' Tibetan culture, he reminds, has always been steeped in verse. 'Traditionally, Tibetans sing while working, resting, travelling. Poetry colours our lives in an otherwise stark landscape. It is part of who we are.' But exile has sharpened his voice into a political tool. 'My generation was born in India. Most of us have never seen Tibet. We are writing about a country we know only in imagination.' Independent entity Mr. Tsundue's activism also points to the geopolitics surrounding Tibet. 'In 1946, when India was about to get freedom, Tibet participated in the Asian Relations Conference as an independent entity. But after China's invasion, the world, including Kerala, saw China as a rising power and turned away from Tibet. Today, China is mining Tibetan land for rare earth metals and selling them worldwide. The irony is that the same socialist state is now threatening India.' Despite the betrayals of history, Mr. Tsundue insists on optimism. 'We will never forget the past. But Buddhism teaches us to live in the present, with dignity. If you can remain positive and compassionate, that is true victory.'
