New Delhi, Nov 14 (IANS): The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar, emphasised the need for a self-reliant approach to meet the challenges in the maritime domain.

The Southern Naval Command, Kochi, is hosting a two-day seminar, themed 'Aatmanirbhar Air Arm of the Indian Navy 2023', on November 13-14. The event is being conducted under the aegis of Headquarters Naval Aviation.

Addressing the event on Monday, the Navy Chief stated that the Government of India’s initiative of Aatmanirbhar Bharat underlines its potential application to the Indian Naval Aviation sector.

“The current strides taken towards the localisation of various spares and critical components towards aircraft manufacturing within the country has gathered pace and the potential of the Indian industry has been encouraging,” he added.

Admiral R Hari Kumar highlighted the importance of flight safety and reduction of aircraft accidents by enforcing stringent checks and revisiting the SOPs.

Insightful papers were presented by the Subject Matter Experts and eminent panelists focusing on in-depth analysis and strategies to foster innovation. The seminar served as platform in bringing various experts in the field of aviation under one platform with the aim of looking at ways of leveraging the contemporary technology to revamp the indigenisation process. It holds significance since it was a unique effort on looking at the ways to gain self-reliance in naval aviation in keeping with the clarion call of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

On the occasion, awards were presented to various naval squadrons and flights for their remarkable performance. The Chief of the Naval Staff awarded on the spot commendation to Cdr Abhishek Tomar, Defence civilians Gitesh Shenoy MCM(AR) and Joseph Tom CM (AR) who contributed towards indigenisation efforts resulting in optimum exploitation of Sea King helicopters in keeping with the truest sense of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.