The Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar handed over four Naval Systems developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to the Indian Navy at a special ceremony in New Delhi on November 18, 2016. The four indigenously developed naval systems, viz. Abhay, Humsa UG, NACS and AIDSS which will boost underwater surveillance capability of the Indian Navy, were formally handed over to the Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba by the Minister.

Parrikar complimented the DRDO and the Navy for their successful joint venture in developing several naval systems, which will provide a fillip to the quest for self-reliance in this critical area of technology. “I expect much more synergy between the armed forces and DRDO in the days to come”, he said. He expressed his appreciation to DRDO for its achievements in the last two years particularly in the induction of LCA Tejas, Varunastra torpedo, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher, Rustom-II UAV and several missile programmes.

Addressing the gathering, the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy said skill initiative programme is the brainchild of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the credit of pulling along the skill ecosystem in the Indian armed forces should go to the Defence Minister. Rudy said the Defence Minister is not only involved in the skilling process technically but also socially as he has created a new pathway about the programme in the armed forces.