‘Samudra Pratap’ strengthens self-reliance Background: The ‘Samudra Pratap’ vessel, which has been completely designed domestically and inducted into the Indian Coast Guard, has strengthened the country's goal of self-reliance. This pollution control vessel, which is 114.5 meters long and weighs 4,200 tons, with more than 60 percent indigenous components, has been built by Goa Shipyard Limited. The Defence Minister inducted the ship into service at a ceremony held in Goa. Indian Navy's Joint Exercise with Southeast Asian Countries Background: Warships from the Indian Navy's First Training Squadron, namely INS Tir (training ship), INS Shardul (warship), INS Sujata (patrol vessel), and ICGS Sarathi, are undertaking a long-distance deployment to Southeast Asia as part of an integrated training exercise. During this deployment, the ships are scheduled to visit major ports in Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. The objective of this exercise is to provide the officers serving on the warships with extensive operational experience and multi-cultural training. This initiative is in line with India's Act East Policy and its vision for the Indo-Pacific region and aims to strengthen India's maritime cooperation with Southeast Asian countries.
