Verma named Indian Navy chief

NEW DELHI (Agencies) - Vice-Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma, who once commanded India’s sole aircraft carrier INS Viraat, was named as the next Navy chief on Saturday.
The Vice-Admiral, who is at present the Eastern Naval Commander at Visakhapatnam, will take over from incumbent Admiral Sureesh Mehta on August 31 when the latter retires from service, the government announced here.
Verma, who was born on November 14 in 1950, was commissioned into the Executive Branch of the Navy on July 1, 1970 and during his long service spanning nearly 39 years, the Navy chief-designate has served in a variety of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments.
His sea command experience includes the Leander-class Frigate INS Udaigiri, Guided Missile Destroyer INS Ranvir and the flagship aircraft carrier INS Viraat.