Q. The terms “Shachi” and “Shruti” that were in news recently are:
Answer: India’s first private sector-made warships
Notes: Recently, Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited (RDEL)- a subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure launched first two offshore naval petrol vessels (NOPVs) at their shipyard in Pipavav in Gujarat. The two NOPVs - 'Shachi' and 'Shruti' - are among five ships being constructed by RDEL under the P-21 project of the Indian Navy. These are the first set of warships that have been manufactured by the private defence sector for the Indian Navy. The new ships will help the Indian Navy in its surveillance activities across India's vast Exclusive Economic Zone. The ships, Shachi and Shruti will also perform tasks such as fleet support operations, maritime security of offshore assets, anti-piracy patrols, coastal security operations, and protection of shipping lanes. These ships are armed with 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount system along with two 30mm AK-630M guns. These are meant to provide medium and short range offensive and defence capabilities to the Indian Navy. The ship's operations are controlled by an Intelligent Integrated Platform Management System. This has interfaces for all operational activities onboard the ship.