INS Visakhapatnam has made the City of Destiny a part of the nation’s naval history: Jagan

‘The warship has Dolphin’s Nose and ‘Krishna jinka’, the State animal, as its emblem‘

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said the conduct of MILAN-2022, the biennial Multilateral Naval Exercise, for the first time in the city is a matter of pride for Visakhapatnam.

The Chief Minister was speaking as chief guest at the City Parade organjsed as part of the event, at R.K. Beach here on Sunday evening.

The name of Visakhapatnam, known as the City of Destiny, would now sail with the history of the nation, as the warship, INS Visakhapatnam, was recently inducted into the Indian Navy, the Chief Minister said.

“It has the Dolphin’s Nose and our State animal, ‘Krishna jinka’ (blackbuck or Indian antelope), as its emblem,” Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said.

“The operational demos reinforce our faith in the ability of the Navy in protecting the people,” he added.

Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff, and Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command (ENC), were present on the dais.

The Chief Minister and other guests witnessed the City Parade, in which the flag bearers carried the flags of the 39 participating countries. A contingent each from the Australian Navy, Bangladesh Navy, Malaysian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Sea Cadet Corps, Sainik School, Korukonda, INS Chilka Bank from Odisha, AP Police, Octopus (AP Special Police), and State Disaster and Fire Services participated.