The INS Vikrant is designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday commissioned the first indigenous aircraft carrier as INS Vikrant. Modi also unveiled the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan).
Addressing the gathering, he said, “Here, on the coast of Kerala, India, every Indian is witnessing the sunrise of a new future. This event being held on the INS Vikrant is a tribute to the rising spirits of India on the world horizon.”
The INS Vikrant is designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, a Public Sector Shipyard under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways. Vikrant has been built with state-of-the-art automation features and is the largest ship ever built in the maritime history of India.
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The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is named after her illustrious predecessor, India’s first Aircraft Carrier which had played a vital role in the 1971 war. It has a large number of indigenous equipment and machinery, involving major industrial houses in the country as well as over 100 MSMEs. With the commissioning of Vikrant, India will have two operational Aircraft Carriers, which will bolster the maritime security of the nation.
Modi added, “Today, INS Vikrant has filled the country with a new confidence. It’s a symbol of India’s hard work, ingenuity, influence and commitment. It’s a symbol of indigenous strength, research and skill.” The Prime Minister also said that women officers will be posted on INS Vikrant.
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Modi further said, “Vikrant is huge, massive, and vast. Vikrant is distinguished, Vikrant is also special. Vikrant is not just a warship. This is a testament to the hard work, talent, influence and commitment of India in the 21st century. If the goals are distant, the journeys are long, the ocean and the challenges are endless – then India’s answer is Vikrant. The incomparable Amrit of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is Vikrant. Vikrant is a unique reflection of India becoming self-reliant.”
The Prime Minister also acknowledged and praised the contribution of the Navy, engineers of Cochin Shipyard, scientists and specially the workers who worked on the project. He also noted the happy and auspicious occasion of Onam that is adding even more happiness to the occasion.
It is important to note that every part of INS Vikrant has its own merits, a strength, a development journey of its own. It is a symbol of indigenous potential, indigenous resources and indigenous skills. The steel installed in its airbase is also indigenous, developed by DRDO scientists and produced by Indian companies, he said. Explaining the massive proportions of the carrier, Modi said it is like a “floating city”. “It produces electricity that is sufficient to power 5,000 households and the wiring used will reach Kashi from Kochi. INS Vikrant is a living embodiment of the spirit of the Panch Prans that he proclaimed from the ramparts of Red Fort,” he said.
Commenting on the changing geo-strategic situation, Modi said in the past, security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean have long been ignored. “But today this area is a major defence priority of the country for us. That is why we are working in every direction, from increasing the budget for the Navy to increasing its capability,” he said.
Governor Kerala Arif Mohammad Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Sarbananda Sonowal, V Muraleedharan, Ajay Bhat, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chief of Naval Staff R Hari Kumar were among those present on the occasion.
