EZHIMALA, Kerala: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has launched the premier officer-training establishment of the Indian Navy, billed as the largest in Asia, on the sprawling 2452-acre campus in this remote Kerala village. Commencing June 2009, all officers inducted into the Indian Navy, under various schemes, will undergo basic training at the Naval Academy here. Cadets from the friendly countries can also get admission here. The academy’s foundation was laid by late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi two decades ago.
The academy has state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories and workshops, a well-stocked library and a modern auditorium. Physical-fitness training-facilities include indoor swimming and diving pools, an athletics track and stadium, a variety of playfields and courts, a firing range and a watermanship-training centre with several types of boats besides a comprehensive IT network, interconnecting various facilities.
While Naval Orientation Courses are being conducted at Ezhimala since 2005, full-fledged training will commence from June 2009, an official statement said. The Academy conducts a four-year B Tech program for all newly inducted trainees.
