President Droupadi Murmu visited the INS Kadamba naval base in Karwar in northern Karnataka. She also undertook a journey in a submarine from the port, making her the second President to travel by submarine after former President A P J Abdul Kalam.
- President Droupadi Murmu visited the INS Kadamba naval base in Karwar, northern Karnataka, on 28 December, 2025. She flew from Goa to the Karwar naval base, where Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot and state ministers welcomed her.
- After visiting the base, the President undertook a journey in a submarine from Karwar port. She became the second President to travel by submarine after former President A P J Abdul Kalam, who had boarded a naval submarine in Visakhapatnam in the year 2006.
- Murmu is the first President of India to fly in two Indian Air Force fighter aircraft. She flew in a Rafale on 29 October this year and had also flown in a Sukhoi 30 MKI in the year 2023.
- The President’s tour includes Goa, Karnataka and Jharkhand, with programmes including the Ol Chiki centenary celebrations and the NIT Jamshedpur convocation ceremony.
Mrs Droupadi Murmu
- Mrs Droupadi Murmu took oath as the 15th President of India on 25 July, 2022. Prior to this, she served as the 9th Governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021. She completed the longest tenure (6 years 55 days) as the Governor of Jharkhand.
- Mrs Droupadi Murmu was born on 20 June, 1958, in Uparbeda of the remote Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, in a Santhal tribal family. She became the first girl of her village to pass the matriculation examination and obtain a degree.
- She was elected as a councillor of the Rairangpur Notified Area Council in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha (1997) and later became the Vice-Chairperson of Rairangpur NAC.
- She served two terms (2000–2009) as a Member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from the Rairangpur Assembly constituency.
- She received the Pandit Nilkanth Das – Best MLA Award (2007) by the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
INS Kadamba
- Located near Karwar in Karnataka, it is a major Indian Navy base that was commissioned in 2005 under Project Seabird. It is currently India’s third-largest naval base, and its expansion aims to make it the largest base east of the Suez Canal.
- Project Seabird: This ambitious project is divided into phases. Phase I was completed in 2005. Phase II, which is currently underway, focuses on expanding the capacity to accommodate more than 50 frontline warships.
- The name ‘Kadamba’ is associated with Kadamba Mayur Varma, the founder of the Kadamba dynasty, who was born in Banavasi, a small village in the Uttara Kannada district, about 100 kilometres from Karwar, around 300 AD.
- The Indian Navy came into existence on 5 September, 1612. Earlier it was called the Royal Indian Navy, and after independence in 1947, its name was changed to the Indian Navy.
Indian Navy main bases in 2025
- INS Kadamba (Karwar, Karnataka): Under Project Seabird, it is becoming the largest naval base in the Eastern Hemisphere, housing aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant.
- INS Angre (Mumbai, Maharashtra): Main centre of the Western Naval Command and the Western Fleet.
- INS Circars – Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh): Headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command and the Eastern Fleet.
- INS Venduruthy (Kochi, Kerala): Headquarters of the Southern Naval Command and the main training centre.
- INS Utkorsh (Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands): Important for the Andaman and Nicobar Joint Command.
Major strategic engagements and regional development (2025)
- INS Jatayu (Minicoy, Lakshadweep): Commissioned to secure important sea lanes and counter growing regional threats.
- INS Aravali (Gurugram, Haryana): Commissioned in September, 2025 to focus on maritime security and cooperation.
- INS Nistar (Singapore):
Other major naval stations
- Goa (INS Hansa/INS Gomantak): Primary air station and logistics hub.
- Chennai (INS Adyar): Logistics and maintenance support.
- Kolkata (INS Netaji Subhas): Administrative support.
- Campbell Bay (INS Baaz): Forward operating base in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- INS Vajrakosh – Karnataka ammunition and missile depot
- INS Abhimanyu - Mumbai, Maharashtra, MARCOS training/commando base
