Shivpuri: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral
Nirmal Kumar Verma on Sunday asserted that India's naval force is
one of the strongest in the world.
"Our navy is one of the strongest forces, not just in
west Asia, but in the entire world," Verma said, when asked
where the Indian Navy stands as compared to Pakistan.
Verma was speaking after inaugurating a health-camp
oraganised by the navy. Union Minister of State for Commerce
and Industries Jyotiraditya Scindia was also present on the
occasion.
On the issue of fighting the piracy menace, Verma said,
"At present, 16 countries, including India, have launched
anti-piracy operations and the Indian Navy has so far arrested
120 Somali pirates."
Talking about a couple of vessels that had run aground on
the Mumbai coast in succession a few months back, the navy
chief said, the incidents had taken place due to some
technical problems. "There was no breach of security involved
in those incidents," the navy chief said.
When asked about the rising pollution levels in the sea,
he said, "The navy is extending active cooperation to all
those agencies involved in eliminating pollution from the
sea."
Verma added that the intention behind holding the
health-camps was to reach the common man and attract the
youths to the naval force.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, November 13, 2011, 20:34