On the occasion of Republic Day, a Ceremonial Parade was held at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) parade ground at INS Circars today, 26 January 19. Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain PVSM, AVSM, VSM Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, ENC took the salute and inspected a 50 men Armed Guard and later reviewed the platoons comprising of naval personnel drawn from all ships, submarines and establishments, Defence Security Corps and Sea Cadets Corps(SCC). Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, Chief of Staff, ENC, was the Conducting Officer of the Parade and Cdr Abhishek Yadav was the Parade Commander. In addition to service personnel and their families, the spectators included a large number of veterans and parents of SCC cadets.
The Commander-in-Chief greeted all present on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day and complimented the men on parade on their immaculate turnout and outstanding drill. Speaking of the occasion, Vice Admiral Jain reminded everyone that on this day in 1950, India became the Sovereign Republic by adopting the Indian Constitution and how the framers of the Constitution, headed by Dr Balasaheb Ambedkar, drew from the best practices from across the world and give us the best Constitution in the world. He brought out that whilst we are well aware of our fundamental rights, it is equally important to know our Fundamental duties enshrined in the Constitution that we must abide by. He called upon all to discharge these Fundamental Duties in safeguarding national interests. He further highlighted the restrictions in the fundamental rights imposed on armed forces personnel ensure discipline and efficient discharge of their duties.
Complementing the units of ENC for maintaining a high tempo of operations meeting all challenges on the Eastern Seaboard and displaying outstanding professionalism during the Mission-Based Deployment, Vice Adm Jain reminded the men and women on parade of the fragile security situation in the region and urged all present to never let their guard down, adding that there should be no compromise on security. He also underscored the importance of physical security and information security adding that security is every individual’s primary responsibility.
As part of the Republic Day celebrations, all naval ships at Visakhapatnam were also ‘dressed overall’ with various signal flags displayed from their main mast to the front and rear flag poles.