INS Chilka to Pass Out Largest Agniveer Batch of 3,300

INS Chilka, the ab-initio training establishment of the Indian Navy, will hold the passing out parade of the ninth batch of Agniveers of the Navy and Naviks of the Indian Coast Guard on 13 November 2026. With more than 3,300 trainees completing their course, this is the largest batch ever to pass out of the establishment, as the Ministry of Defence announced on 9 November 2026.

The training behind the parade

The parade closes 16 weeks of ab-initio training, the first stage of service for a new entrant. The syllabus runs across academics, physical conditioning, swimming, drill on the parade ground, outdoor work and a camp, and the aim is to turn fresh recruits into sailors who are disciplined, physically agile and professionally sound. Equal weight is given to character, leadership, discipline and teamwork, along with the naval values of Duty, Honour and Courage.

Who presides

• Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, the Chief of the Naval Staff, will be the chief guest and the reviewing officer of the parade.
• Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, will preside over the valedictory function.
• Awards will go to meritorious trainees, to the champion division and to the best instructor.
• Ankur, the bilingual magazine brought out by the trainees, will be unveiled at the event.
• The parade will be streamed live on the official social media accounts of the Indian Navy.

Points to remember

The trainees come from two services at once, the Indian Navy under the Agnipath scheme and the Indian Coast Guard, where the equivalent entrant is called a Navik. For an examination, the facts that matter are the name and role of the establishment, the number of the batch, the strength that makes it a record, the officer reviewing the parade and the officer presiding over the valedictory function, and the name of the magazine released on the day.