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The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, inaugurated
the academy on 8 Jan 2009. It was planned as a
full fledged, permanent Naval Academy to replace
the then existing Naval Academy, INS Mandovi at
Goa. Surprisingly it took almost 22 years to inaugurate
the Academy for which the foundation stone was
laid by the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on
17 Jan 1987.
Nonetheless, today it is one of the country’s
prime institutions.
The academy has been specifically formulated
to make the trainee men and women morally upright,
physically robust, mentally alert and technologically
aware professionals, dedicated to excel lence.
The implementation of the curriculum is oriented
to ensure a clean break from the traditional straitjacketed
mentality and infuse in them a sense of innovativeness,
creativity, resourcefulness and a passion for
excellence.
The staff is committed to impart the highest
quality of training, and to mould trainees into
officers.
Located in the Kannur (Cannanore) District of
Kerala, which forms a part of its North Malabar
Region, nestled between the imposing Mount Dilli,
serene Kavvayi backwaters and the majestic Arabian
Sea, NAVAC provides an idyllic setting for training
with its picturesque and tranquil environment.
It covers an area of 2452 acres.
Prior to the establishment of the National Defence
Academy (NDA) in 1954, Indian Naval officer cadets
underwent four years of training in Dartmouth,
United Kingdom with the Royal Navy and were commissioned
as Sub Lieutenants upon return. Navy realized
that the NDA could not keep up with its expanding
staffing requirements and established the Indian
Naval Academy at Cochin in May 1969 to impart
basic training.
The academy was consolidated with the Officers
training school at INS Mandovi in Goa in 1976.
But with the growing use of INS Mandovi as an
operational naval base, as well as the existing
Provost and Physical Training school at the location,
the Naval Academy operated under considerable
space constraints. In addition, providing basic
training for Coast Guard officers at the academy
further stretched the facilities. Hence the Navy
decided to obtain sanction for a new permanent
Naval Academy to cope with increasing training
load.
Defence Minister A K Antony had informed Parliament
that the project was initially envisaged to cost
Rs.166 crore (Rs.1.66 billion). After 22 years
the project when completed cost Rs.721 crore (Rs.7.21
billion). About Rs.500 million were spent on assuring
proper water supply to the academy, developing
roads and other infrastructural facilities.
The Academy conducts a four-year B. Tech programme
for all newly inducted trainees. Courses are offered
in Electronics and Communications and Mechanical
Engineering. The syllabus and the curriculum has
been drafted keeping in mind the current technical
advancements and the skill sets that will be required
in handling the future acquisitions of the Indian
Navy. Naval Orientation Courses of 20 weeks duration
for other direct entry scheme (after graduation)
in various branches is also conducted here. The
engineering programmes at the academy have been
drawn up by the Indian Navy in conjunction with
Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and
the All India Council for Technical Education
(AICTE).
The total envisaged strength of the Academy
was 450 trainees which would increase to 1100
by 2013. There will be officer trainees from the
Indian Coast Guard and friendly foreign countries.
The academy has a seven km of beach front on
the Arabian Sea.
The INA is divided into three zones – a Training
zone, an Administration zone and an Accommodation
zone. The training zone contains the main academic
building complex, as well as physical-training,
aquatics and outdoor-training complexes, auditoriums,
a firing range, cadet’s Mess and cadet’s dormitories.
There is also a hospital.
On 6 Apr 2005, the naval base depot INS Zamorin
was commissioned as a part of Phase I of the academy
by then Chief Minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy.
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