NewzVille Desk
INS Sagardhwani, India’s oceanographic research vessel under the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) of DRDO, was flagged off for the fifth edition of the Sagar Maitri (SM-5) initiative from Southern Naval Command, Kochi on Saturday.
The vessel was flagged off by Radha Mohan Singh, Member of Parliament and Chairperson, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, in the presence of honourable Members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, Dr Samir V Kamat, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO; RAdm Upal Kundu, Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command; Dr R. V. Hara Prasad, Director General (Naval Systems & Materials); and Dr Duvvuri Seshagiri, Director, NPOL, along with senior officials from the Indian Navy and DRDO.
Sagar Maitri is a flagship collaborative initiative of the Indian Navy and DRDO, aligned with the Government of India’s vision of ‘Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions (MAHASAGAR)’.
The initiative aims to promote closer cooperation in socio-economic aspects and greater scientific interaction, especially in ocean research, among Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) countries.
