New Delhi, India

Indian Navy chief Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar on Wednesday (Mar 6) spoke exclusively to WION's principal diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal on board INS Vikrant, which is India's first indigenously designed aircraft carrier. 

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The Indian Navy on Wednesday commissioned its new base INS Jatayu at Minicoy Island which will bolster its operational capabilities within the strategically important Lakshadweep islands. 

While speaking on how INS Jatayu will act as the Indian Navy's eyes and ears in the Arabian Sea, Admiral Kumar said, "INS Jatayu is in Minicoy Island. It is the southernmost island of the Lakshadweep chain and the western seaboard. It is about 200 miles off the coast of India. So, therefore, it is located right next to the 90-degree channel through which all the traffic, entering and exiting the Arabian Sea, comes through." 

He further said, "While we always had a Naval Detachment there, but commissioning the base will help us with operational support and infrastructure, administration support facilities. It will be beneficial in terms of surveillance, response, building up of assets. There is also the plan for an airfield and the jetties to be strengthened and improved." 

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Also read: INS Jatayu: Possibilities and challenges for India's Naval airbase in Minicoy, Lakshadweep 

Experts have noted that the Naval detachment will also enhance operational reach, and support the Indian Navy's efforts in anti-piracy and anti-narcotics operations in the Arabian Sea. 

Earlier in the day, while addressing the gathering at Minicoy after the commissioning of INS Jatayu, the navy chief said that the unit was named after the mythical creature in the epic Ramayana who tried to stop the abduction of Sita. 

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"In the Ramayana, Jatayu was the 'first responder', trying to stop the abduction of Sita ji, even to the peril of his own life, exemplifying service before self. So the naming of this unit as Jatayu is an apt recognition of this spirit of providing security surveillance and selfless service," he said. 

The navy chief had said that the information Jatayu relayed to Lord Ram provided crucial situational awareness and the Indian Navy also expects that this unit will provide situational awareness to maintain good maritime domain awareness of the entire region. 

Also read: Indian woman pilot injured after trainer aircraft crashes in Madhya Pradesh. VIDEO 

Watch the full interview here: 

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Navy chief on Red Sea crisis 

While speaking to WION on the Red Sea crisis, Admiral Kumar said that the situation is a "little volatile" but in a sense it is manageable.

He said that it is because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. 

He said that so far Indian flagged vessels are safe and there have been no reports of any damage to Indian vessels.

He said that the Indian Navy has been "providing support to them, and providing escort to cargo such as fertiliser and grain, and our assets have been deployed there."