After India became a Republic in January 1950, she was renamed INS "Delhi". In June 1950, Commander Adhar Kumar Chatterji (later Chief of the Naval Staff) became her first Indian commanding officer; the same month she conveyed Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to Indonesia on an official visit. In May 1951, the Government of New Zealand, in recognition of her services to New Zealand and as a goodwill gesture to India, presented a plaque to Captain S. G. Karmarkar, the commanding officer of the "Delhi". The plaque, with the crests of both "Achilles" and "Delhi" was presented by the New Zealand Trade Commissioner in India.