INS Dweeprakshak

INS Dweeprakshak is an Indian Navy base on Kavaratti island in the Lakshadweep archipelago, operating under the Southern Naval Command. It provides support facilities for naval vessels operating in and around the island territory and supports surveillance of the shipping lanes running between the Indian mainland and the Persian Gulf, which pass through the archipelago. Anti-piracy tasking in the wake of Somali pirate activity in the Arabian Sea forms part of the base's remit.

The Indian Navy has deployed detachments to the Lakshadweep Islands since independence and has maintained permanent facilities on Kavaratti since the 1980s. INS Dweeprakshak was commissioned on 30 April 2012 by Vice Admiral Krishnan Nair Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, consolidating the existing installations into a full base. Captain S. M. Hanchinal was the first Commanding Officer.