♦ Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi commissioned INS Ikshak, the Indian Navy’s third indigenously designed and built Survey Vessel (large) in Kochi on 6 November 2025.

♦ Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata, ‘Ikshak’ stands as a major success for the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, boasting over 80 per cent indigenous content. 

♦ The vessel will be the first of its class to be based at the Southern Naval Command.

♦ Named after the Sanskrit word for ‘Guide,’ the ship is equipped with advanced hydrographic and oceanographic tools, including multi-beam sonars and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.