Modi lauds navy’s all-women circumnavigation team

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the nation is proud of the six women officers of the Indian Navy who will embark next month on a mission to circumnavigate the globe.

Modi said the updates on their journey would be made available on the Prime Minister's mobile application (Narendra Modi App).

"I had the opportunity to meet some young daughters, some of who, were born in the Himalayas, who had absolutely no connection with the sea. Six of these young daughters are in the navy. Their grit and zeal is inspiring for all of us," Modi said in his radio programme "Mann Ki Baat".

"These six young women will embark on a voyage across the seas, in a small boat, INSV Tarini. The expedition has been named Navika Sagar Parikrama. They will circumnavigate the globe and return home, after many months," he said.

"Our six daughters riding the waves of the high seas, with courage, is the first instance of its kind in the world," the Prime Minister said.

"Each and every Indian would be proud of these daughters. I salute their valour and I have asked them to share their experiences with the entire country.

"I am making a separate arrangement for their experiences on the Narendra Modi App to ensure that you can read it. This is a tale of heroism, a tale of personal experiences, and I would be happy to bring you the stories of these daughters. My best wishes and blessings to these daughters," he said.

An all-women team of Indian Navy led by Lt. Commander Vartika Joshi, along with Lt. Commanders Pratibha Jamwal and P. Swathi, and Lieutenants S. Vijaya Devi, B. Aishwarya and Payal Gupta is set to embark on the circumnavigation journey next month.

The gruelling journey would take them through some of the roughest seas.

The around eight-month-long journey would be covered in five legs with stop-overs at four ports -- Fremantle (Australia), Lyttelton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands), and Cape Town (South Africa).