Navy Chief visits Ladakh to promote maritime consciousness
Admiral R Hari Kumar said, “In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, the Navy wants that in the near future, it should have one soldier from every block of the country and, after that, from every village of the country.”
So, the Indian Navy deployed a team in Leh-Ladakh for almost 30 days. “They are doing various programs, visiting schools, and colleges. They already covered nine schools and two colleges to bring awareness about the Navy. I would say the need is for more and more of the youth to join the armed forces. Army, Air Force, Navy, it doesn’t matter,” added the Navy Chief.
As part of the outreach program of the Indian Navy in Ladakh, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Thursday said the Navy presently has only seven people from Ladakh in its ranks at present but it wants at least 700 of them.
The Navy has started an outreach program in Ladakh to get more recruits from this area, for which the Navy chief reached there after a 14-hour road drive. He also paid tribute to the soldiers at the war memorial.
“The aim of the Navy is to ensure that at least one sailor each should be in the Navy from all villages and districts of the country,” the Navy chief said.
The Admiral informed that he came to Ladakh to spread the message of the outreach from the Navy. The main reason is that the force realized that there was hardly anybody from that region in the Navy, he said.
“I have come here to spread the message of outreach from the Navy. We have a total number of seven people, one officer and six sailors. That is all out of a force of 70,000 personnel which I feel is very less,” Admiral Hari Kumar said.
“It is my endeavour that more and more people from this region join the Navy,” he said.
“Being a naval chief, I wanted to make sure that an adequate number of people and representations there from this region. So miracles from seven should become 700 at least for the next few years,” the Naval Chief emphasised.
The outreach program is being conducted by visiting schools, talking to the children, and motivating them. Officers are conducting bike rallies and car rallies. The Indian Navy is also organizing a lot of other contact programs like football matches and interaction with the schools, Admiral Hari Kumar informed.
The Navy Chief further said, “I’m speaking to the NCC, Cadets and so on.” He said that we have to look at all three forces as a joint asset of the nation. All the assets should be used jointly so that there’s a maximum operational benefit for the country.
