At the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi on Friday, September 2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously-built aircraft carrier. The Prime Minister declared following the launching that India has now entered the elite group of countries that have created indigenous aircraft carriers.
PM Modi and INS Vikrant
In his remarks at the commissioning ceremony, Modi described the INS Vikrant as a floating village and airfield, with the ability to power 5,000 homes and have cables reach Kashi from Kochi.
The carrier’s deck, according to him, is the size of two football fields and serves as an illustration of the government’s goal to make India self-sufficient in the defense industry. The security of the Indo-Pacific region is “our priority, but in the past, it was ignored,” the prime minister added.
Additionally, Modi displayed the updated Naval Ensign. Speaking to a sizable crowd at the INS Vikrant’s commissioning ceremony, Modi remarked that with the new ensign, the nation had left its colonial heritage.
According to Modi, the old Indian Naval flag, which was influenced by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, represented slavery and has since been removed. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj seal, a legendary Indian ruler, served as the model for the new Naval Ensign. The octagonal design signifies the eight directions, reflecting the Navy’s expansive reach, and also represents steadfastness.
Designed by WDB
The largest ship ever built in Indian nautical history, INS Vikrant was designed by the Indian Navy’s internal Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited, a Public Sector Shipyard under the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The indigenous carrier is named for its forerunner, who was instrumental in the conflict of 1971.
The 262-meter-long carrier, which has four gas turbines with a combined 88 MW of power and a top speed of 28 knots, is said to have a full displacement of close to 45,000 tonnes.
The carrier’s construction has cost around Rs 20,000 crore in total. 2009 saw the laying of its keel. Rajnath Singh, the Union Defense Minister, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief of the Navy R Harikumar, Chairman and Managing Director of CSL Madhu S Nair, and others were present during the commissioning ceremony.
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