COMMODORE GANGESH KUMAR TAKES OVER AS NAVAL OFFICER IN CHARGE (ANDHRA PRADESH)

Commodore Gangesh Kumar took over as Naval Officer-in-Charge (Andhra Pradesh) at an impressive Ceremonial Parade held at Naval Dockyard today, 26 Nov 10 wherein nineteen men Ceremonial Guard was presented to the Naval Officer-in-Charge. Commodore Gangesh Kumar, a specialist in Anti Submarine Warfare, has held a number of prestigious appointments both afloat and ashore. The Commodores afloat appointments include Fleet Anti Submarine Officer of the Western Fleet and command of an ASW Corvette and of a Missile Corvette. The Commodore has been an instructor at the prestigious National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune and also the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti Submarine Warfare School, INS Venduruthy, Kochi. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Defence Services Staff College (Wellington) and Naval Higher Command Course (Mumbai), Commodore Gangesh Kumar has served with the Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence in the Division of Finance Planning prior to taking over the present appointment. Commodore Brian A Thomas, the outgoing NOIC (AP), after a successful tenure as Naval Officer-in-Charge (AP), proceeds to command INS Netaji Subhash and as Naval Officer-in-Charge (West Bengal).

ENTHUSIASTIC RESPONSE TO NAVY MELA AND VISIT TO NAVAL SHIPS

As part of Navy Week celebrations, three warships of the Eastern Fleet namely INS Ranvir, INS Airavat and INS Kulish were open for visit by children and the public over the past two days. INS Ranvir is a Kashin Class Destroyer, INS Airavat is a Landing Ship Tank (Large) class of amphibious ship while INS Kulish is front line Missile Platforms of the Indian Navy. About 1200 children from various reputed schools and colleges from in and around Visakhapatnam including NCC cadets visited the ships on Friday, 26 Nov 10 . A large number of public from all walks of life also visited the ships today, 27 Nov 10. The visitors were taken on a guided tour of the ship and briefed about the diverse weapons and equipment fitted onboard. Various Naval evolutions and operations were explained to them by the means of photo boards. A Career Counseling Cell was also set up by INS Kuthar, for those with an interest in joining the Navy. Considerable excitement was in evidence as the visitors experienced life in the Navy from close quarters.
The Navy Mela at Samudrika grounds also evoked good response, with over 20,000 people visiting the venue to date. Visitors have evinced keen interest in the stalls put up by the Submarine Maintenance Unit, Naval Armament Depot and the Dockyard. The submarine model displaying diving, surfacing and torpedo firing capabilities, and another of INS Jalashwa depicting its entire range of operations have been garnering maximum attention.
Sunday, 28 Nov 10 is the last day for visiting the ships between 9 AM to 5 PM and also for visiting the Mela between 10 AM and 10 PM.

SAINIK SCHOOL GOLDEN JUBILEE ORGANISING COMMITTEE MEETING HELD AT VISAKHAPATNAM

The third meeting of the Sainik School, Korukonda Golden Jubilee Organising Committee (SSKGJOC) was held today, 21 Nov 10 at Visakhapatnam. Chaired by Lieutenant General (Retired) KR Rao and attended by over forty ex-students and the present Principal of the School, Group Captain R Murali, the meeting was hosted by Commodore GV Babu, who heads the Visakhapatnam Chapter of the Association Saikorian. Following the Meeting, the members were joined by their families at a joyful picnic at the Yerrada beach. Sainik School Korukonda enters the Golden Jubilee year on 18 Jan 2011. Apart from car and cycle rallies being flagged off from various parts of the state so as to reach Korukonda on the Inaugural Day of the year, a host of activities are planned to be conducted all year round to commemorate the Occasion, culminating in a grand finale at the School on 18 Jan 2012. These include Tree Plantation, Sailing, White Water Rafting, a sponsored trip for select children from the school to Sri Nagar, Motor Arcade and Paragliding displays at Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. In an effort to ggive back to the School, Association Saikorian also proposes to construct a multi-purpose building in the School premises that will accommodate a Gymnasium and a Sports Complex. The Association also seeks to reconnect with all ex-students through sskgold@saikorian.org with a view to making the Event a grand success.

INDIGENISATION SEMINAR – INDSEM 2010 INAUGURATED

two day Seminar cum Exhibition INDSEM-10 got underway at Meghadri Auditorium at Naval Dockyard today, 15 Nov 10. The Seminar was inaugurated by Vice Admiral Anup Singh AVSM, NM, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command. This was followed by release of the Seminar Brochure, and inauguration of the Exhibition. The Admiral unveiled an ‘Indigenisation Trophy’ during the event. The rolling trophy would be handed over to the Naval Unit that makes the maximum contribution in the efforts of Indigenisation over the next year. Earlier, Rear Admiral Vijay Kumar Namballa, NM, Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard (Visakhapatnam) welcomed the distinguished guests and the delegates. Speaking on the Occasion, Vice Admiral Anup Singh stated that despite having been a laggard on the starting block, India has managed to garner its scientific and engineering talent to emerge amongst world leaders in many state-of-the-art technologies. He cited instances wherein defence R&D led to technologies for civilian or commercial use and how with time, in many cases, it has become the other way around. He hoped that with the opening up of defence sector, the wealth of creativity and technical competence of the private sector will make for meaningful contribution to the indigenisation programme. He expressed confidence that the Seminar would provide the desired fillip and focus to the Navy-Industry partnership to further the cause of indigenisation This is the sixth Indigenisation Seminar conducted by Naval Dockyard Vishakapatnam over the last seven years and the response from the industry was overwhelming. In all, over 100 representatives of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and 88 industries were in attendance. Papers by eminent persons from the Indian Navy and Industry are being presented on sub-themes such as ‘Indigenisation-the Industry Perspective’, ‘Life Cycle Support for Indigenized Equipment’, ‘Self Reliance through Indigenisation’, ‘Standardisation - Need of the Hour’. As many as 66 stalls were set up by various firms showcasing their capability.

ALL INDIA NAU SAINIK CAMP-2010 AT VISAKHAPATNAM

The All India Nau Sainik Camp-2010 of the National Cadet Corps commenced at the erstwhile Naval Maritime Academy of the Navy at the 9, IRSD Area on 10 Nov 10 and will terminate on 21 Nov 10. Rear Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Staff, Headquarters Eastern Naval Command, reviewed the participating cadets during a ceremonial parade held on today, 12 Nov 10. He congratulated the cadets for having been selected for the most prestigious event of Naval NCC and exhorted them to compete with all their heart and keep the ethics of fair play uppermost in mind.
Commodore MS Raghunathan, Group Commander of the NCC Group, Visakhapatnam is the Camp Commandant for this grand annual feature of the NCC Training Calendar that provides an opportunity for naval NCC cadets from all over India to interact with one another and promotes esprit de corps and national integration. The cadets train all year round in order to be selected for participation in this camp, which is the culmination of their training in the naval wing of the NCC.
A total of 590 NCC cadets from all 17 Directorates of the NCC have come together from all four corners of the country to pit their skills against one another in the disciplines of Boat Pulling, Ship-Modeling, Drill, Semaphore, Service Subjects, Seamanship Practicals and Firing as part of the NCC ethos of inculcating a healthy competitive sprit amongst its cadets. Apart from individual prizes and team trophies in all events, the cadets would compete keenly to outperform the others in all the disciplines so that they can carry home the overall Best Directorate Trophy.
The Camp would formally conclude with a Cultural Show and Prize Distribution Ceremony scheduled to be conducted at the Samudrika Naval Auditorium of the Eastern Naval Command on 18 Nov 10.

Take Faster Decisions : Director (Projects) of RINL

Mr. AP Choudhary, Director (projects) emphasized the need by officials should take faster decisions within frame work of rules, systems and procedure in the organization. Speaking as chief guest on the occasion of valedictory function of Vigilance Awareness Period- 2010 held in VSP, Mr. Choudhary complimented Vigilance department of VSP for successfully organizing various events to increase the awareness. He also released a book brought out by Vigilance Department titled ‘The Fight against corruption in Public life’.K Vidyasagar, CVO of RINL stated that all out efforts must be made to fight corruption as corruption is ‘anti-national’, ‘anti-development’ and ‘anti-poor’.In two separate sessions awareness programmes were conducted by vigilance department for the benefit of vendors, customers and contractors of VSP and officials of VSP about ‘anti corruption framework in position, the tools available to fight corruption, integrity pact, RTI Act and whistle blowers resolution. An inter school skit competition to spread awareness among students, teachers and parents and essay and slogan competition were also held in this connection. Prizes were awarded to the winners.Senior Officials of VSP, Representatives of Steel Executive Association, Union Leaders, school children and teachers from schools of Ukkunagaram participated. VSP observed "AP formation Day on 1st November. Mr. YR Reddy, GM (Corporate Personnel) garlanded Telugu Thalli Statue. Mantri Raja Sekhar, Maturi srinivasa Rao and Officials of VSP were present.

MISSILE SEMINAR AND TECHNICAL EXHIBITION INAUGURATED AT ENC

A Missile Seminar and Technical Exhibition was inaugurated at Samudrika Naval Auditorium today, 01 Nov 10, as part of the INS Kalinga Silver Jubilee Celebrations. The two day Seminar was inaugurated by the honourable Raksha Rajya Mantri Dr. MM Pallam Raju. Delivering the key note address, Vice Admiral Anup Singh, AVSM, NM, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command stressed on the importance of healthy partnership between public and private industry in order to address the need of in-house Research and Development. He said that this will enable the Services to keep abreast of the latest trends around the world and ensure life-cycle support for the existing inventory. During his inaugural address, Dr. Pallam Raju touched upon the vital aspects of indigenisation of the countrys defence production. He stated that the emphasis on inducting indigenous products across the three Services as replacements has not only validated in-house development, but also enabled the three services to take a vital step forward in the standardisation of inventory fostering interoperability and commonality in maintenance procedures.

Being attended by over 150 delegates from Army, Navy, Air Force and the DRDO, the Seminar comprises Papers presented on varied topics including the Life Extension Philosophy of Missiles, Maintenance of Ground Equipment, Indigenous Missile Technology, Missile Testing, Training and Maintenance. The Seminar focusses on issues of life extension philosophies of vintage missiles and of the new induction integrated missiles. The procedures and policies followed in all three services arel being discussed in detail with a view to evolving a common methodology amongst the three services.

A separate industry session is also being held where reps from various industries present their technical expertise which in turn could foster industry participation to facilitate self reliance in defence sector.The technical exhibition has participation from major industries L&T High Precision Hydrauliks, Bharat Electronics Ltd, Bharat Dynamics Ltd and National Instruments. Major DRDO laboratories like DRDL, RCI and ANURAG are also taking part in the exhibition.

Noble Gesture by Visteel Mahila Samithi

Visteel Mahila Samithi of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant constructed two additional Class rooms at the Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS), Konda Koppaka Village in Anakapalle Mandal of Visakhapatnam District with financial assistance from CSR department of VSP. The annexure blocks of ZPHS were inaugurated by Mr. PK Bishnoi, CMD of RINL on Saturday in the presence of local people’s representatives, staff and students of ZPHS of Konda Koppaka, Members of Visteel Mahila Samithi and officials of Corporate Social Responsibility Department of VSP.The ZPHS caters to the needs of about 700 children from the neighboring villages of Akkireddypalem, Sriramsettypalem, Batlapudi, Talarivanipalem, Rajupalem, Gopalapuram, EduravaniPalem, Sirasapalli, Salapuvanipalem, Golagam, Kothuru and yerukuvanipalemMr. Bishnoi Complimented VMS for the Gesture and conveyed his best wishes to the students of the Zilla Parishad School.On this occasion Mr. Bishnoi and Mrs. Anita Bishnoi, President of Visteel Mahila Samithi felicitated Smt. GV Lakshmi, teacher of ZPHS, Konda Koppaka who won State Level Award.