New Delhi: India’s second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine is expected to be commissioned by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday, sources said.

The commissioning of INS Arighat is being seen as a step towards boosting India’s naval prowess and nuclear deterrence capabilities.

India’s second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine SSBN (Ship, Submersible, Ballistic, Nuclear) is scheduled to be commissioned on Thursday at Visakhapatnam, a sources in the defence establishment said.

The defence minister is expected to be present during the commissioning of the submarine, they said.

More details are awaited as officials on Thursday remained tight-lipped about the commissioning.

INS Arihant, India’s first home-made nuclear submarine, was launched in July 2009 and was quietly commissioned in 2016.

INS Arihant in October 2022 carried out a successful launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in the Bay of Bengal with a “very high accuracy”, the defence ministry had said.

The ministry had also said the SSBN programme is a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability.