India: Standing Defence Committee Delegation Tours Naval Establishments

A thirteen-member delegation of the Standing Committee on Defence, comprising Members of Parliament headed by the Chairman, Shri. Raj Babbar, and accompanied by officers from the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Ministry of Defence arrived Visakhapatnam on 07 Feb 13, on a three day visit to the Naval establishments at Visakhapatnam. The purpose of their visit is to undertake an on-the-spot study on various Defence related issues.

The delegation visited the Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command, where they were received by Vice Admiral Anil Chopra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief. The committee was briefed on the role and functions of the Command and held discussions on several wide ranging Defence matters. In addition, the Committee also visited the Naval Dockyard, Ship Handling Simulator and a few ships and submarines of the Command.

Earlier, the delegation had also visited the Naval Scientific and Technical Laboratory (NSTL) where they were welcomed by Chief Controllers (Research & Development) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Dr. V Bhujanga Rao, and Lieutenant General Anoop Malhotra. The members were briefed on the activities of the Laboratory by the Director, Dr. SV Rangarajan and later conducted to the Environmental Test Facility, where various underwater systems developed by the NSTL were on display.

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Naval Today Staff, February 12, 2013; Image: Indian Navy