President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday presented the President’s Colour to INS Valsura, the Navy’s premier technological training establishment.
The President’s Colour is bestowed on a military unit in recognition of the exceptional service rendered to the nation, both in peace and in war.
‘Nishan Adhikari’ Lt. Arun Singh Sambyal received the President’s Colour on behalf of the unit in an impressive parade, the Navy said. A special postal cover was also released to commemorate the occasion. “The award ceremony commenced with insertion of Drum Toli for Pile-of-Drums ceremony. It traces its history back to a time when soldiers on field used to arrange their drums in a pile to form an altar,” the defence spokesperson said on social media.
INS Valsura trains officers and men on operation and maintenance of sophisticated and technologically advanced equipment on board warships.
The Navy was the first Indian armed force to be awarded the President’s Colour by Dr Rajendra Prasad on May 27, 1951. INS Valsura , started on 30 acres of land as a torpedo school in 1942 under the British, has today grown into one of the foremost technological training institutions of the country spread over 600 acres.
In line with the Navy’s futuristic road map to power its warships, including the proposed Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-II with electric propulsion, in 2018 a medium voltage laboratory was set up by Siemens, Germany, at INS Valsura to familiarise and train naval engineers in the nuances of medium voltage power generation, protection and distribution.
Contemporary training
The Navy stated that INS Valsura imparted quality training on contemporary and niche technologies through progressive augmentation of training infrastructure.
“Setting up of Artificial Intelligence, big data and medium voltage labs in the recent years exemplify its quest for technological excellence in contemporary technology also in training officers and sailors.”
Overall, the establishment conducts more than 262 courses a year.
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