Kochi : The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday commissioned indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant, the largest & most complex warship ever built in India’s maritime history, into the Indian Navy at a ceremony in Kochi, Kerala.
INS Vikrant is the pride of every Indian. If challenges are large, obstacles are many, then the answer is INS Vikrant,” PM Modi said.
“From the seashores of Kerala, every Indian is becoming a witness today to the sunrise of a new future. This ceremony on INS Vikrant is a call for the strengthening morale of India on a global horizon,” he added.
The commissioning of INS Vikrant represents an important development for Atmanirbharata in the field of defence. The nation has now joined a small group of countries that are able to plan and construct an aircraft carrier. On this occasion, the Prime Minister also revealed the Indian Navy’s new ensign.
The Prime Minister said , no challenge is too difficult for today’s India. He said “today, India has joined those countries in the world, which manufacture such a huge aircraft carrier with indigenous technology. Today INS Vikrant has filled the country with a new confidence, and has created a new confidence in the country.” The Prime Minister 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.
INS Vikrant
INS Vikrant is designed by 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 with state of the art automation features and is the largest ship ever built in maritime history of India.
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.
During the event, the Prime Minister also unveiled the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), doing away with the colonial past and befitting the rich Indian maritime heritage.