Sindhudurg: Personnel Below Officer Ranks (PBOR) of the Navy will soon adopt “Indianised” ranks and epaulettes worn by officers will be fashioned after the legacy of 17th century Maratha warrior king Shivaji, in line with the central government’s efforts to shed “vestiges of the colonial era”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement Monday during his Navy Day address in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg.
“Taking inspiration from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, India is marching ahead today by leaving behind the mentality of slavery. I am happy that the epaulettes worn by our naval officers will now showcase markers of the heritage and legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” he said.
Modi added that the new epaulettes will be identical to the naval ensign, which has an octagon inspired by the seal of Shivaji.
The government, he said, is looking to increase the representation of women in the armed forces. He also congratulated the Navy for appointing its “first woman Commanding Officer (CO) onboard a naval ship”.
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Adm. R Hari Kumar had in an annual press conference on 1 December announced the Navy’s decision to appoint Lieutenant Commander Prerna Deosthale as Commanding Officer (CO) of INS Trinkat, a patrol vessel of the Navy. Deosthale is currently undergoing training, the Navy chief had told reporters.
Sources in the defence and security establishment told ThePrint that while changes in naval ranks will take place for Personnel Below Officer Ranks (PBOR), changes in epaulettes will be for Admiral-level ranks, which include the Read Admiral, Vice Admiral and Admiral.
These changes will not apply to epaulettes worn by sailors.
At present, sailor ranks in the Indian Navy include Seaman IInd class, Seaman Ist class, leading Seaman, petty officers, chief petty officers, master chief petty officer IInd class and master chief petty officer Ist class.
The Prime Minister upon his arrival in Sindhudurg unveiled a 45-feet statue of Shivaji at the Rajkot fort, following which he travelled to Tarkarli beach to view an operational demonstration by the Navy.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Narayan Rane were also present, along with Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
Ships showcased by the Navy Monday included the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, besides INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, INS Visakhapatnam, INS Chennai, INS Brahmaputra, INS Beas, INS Betwa, INS Tabar and INS Subhadra. The submarine INS Khanderi was also showcased.
In addition, aircraft part of the demonstration included Chetaks, ALH, MH-60R, Kamov Ka-32, Seaking 42B, Dornier, P8I, Hawks, LCA Navy and the MiG-29K.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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