State PCS - Maharashtra (MPSC)

• 02 Jul 2025

New Commandant of the Pune’s Military Institute of Technology

Why in News? 

Rear Admiral V. Ganapathy, a distinguished Indian Navy Flag Officer, has taken charge as Commandant of the Military Institute of Technology (MILIT), Pune.

Key Points 

• Military Institute of Technology (MILIT): 
  • Background: 
    • The MILIT was established on 19 January 2012, after being carved out from the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT)—a Deemed University and grants-in-aid institution under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). 
  • Administrative Transition and Reorganisation: 
    • From 2012 to 31st March 2015, MILIT functioned under HQ DRDO as its 52nd lab. 
    • On 1st April 2015, MILIT was reconstituted as an Armed Forces Training Institute (AFTI) under the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (IDS). 
  • Location and Composition: 
    • MILIT is located in Girinagar, Pune, and now operates under the Ministry of Defence as a dedicated inter-service training institution. 
    • It is headed by a Commandant of the rank of Major General or equivalent, appointed on a rotational basis from the Army, Navy, and Air Force for a two-year tenure.

Indian Navy 

• The East India Company's naval arm came under the British Crown on 1st May 1830, becoming the Indian Navy, and was later renamed Her Majesty's Indian Navy in 1858. 
  • The Indian Navy adopted the Vedic invocation to Lord Varuna, "Sam no Varunah," as its emblem motto, meaning "Be auspicious unto us, O Varuna."  
• On 21st October 1944, Navy Day was celebrated for the first time.  
  • Since 1972, Navy Day has been celebrated on 4th December to honor the successful 1971 naval operations in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and the Karachi harbor missile attack, and to pay tribute to war martyrs.