PM Modi to visit Mangalore, will commission country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant

National

On September 1-2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Karnataka and Kerala to commission the first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi, as well as to inaugurate and lay the groundwork for projects worth over Rs 3,800 crores in Mangaluru.

On September 1, the Prime Minister will pay a visit to Sri Adi Shankara Janma Bhoomi Kshetram, Adi Shankaracharya’s sacred birthplace in Kalady hamlet near Cochin Airport, at 6 p.m. On September 2, at 9.30 a.m., Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission the first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi. Following that, at 1.30 p.m., the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for projects worth around Rs 3,800 crores in Mangaluru, according to the PMO on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister has been a vocal supporter of Aatmanirbharta, particularly in crucial sectors. The Prime Minister will commission the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, in what will be a landmark step toward self-reliance in the defence industry.

Vikrant was 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, and is the biggest ship ever built in India’s maritime history.

The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is named after India’s first Aircraft Carrier, which played an important part in the 1971 war. It has a huge quantity of indigenous equipment and machinery, with participation from big industrial enterprises as well as over 100 MSMEs. With the commissioning of Vikrant, India will have two operational Aircraft Carriers, bolstering the country’s maritime security.

During the occasion, the Prime Minister will also unveil the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), which will replace the colonial flag and honour India’s rich maritime legacy.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate two Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited projects, the BS VI Upgradation Project and the Sea Water Desalination Plant. The Rs 1830 crore BS VI Upgradation Project would enable the manufacturing of ultra-pure, environmentally beneficial BS-VI grade fuel (with sulphur content less than 10 PPM). The Sea Water Desalination Plant, which would cost roughly Rs 680 crores, will assist minimise reliance on fresh water while also ensuring a consistent supply of hydrocarbons and petrochemicals throughout the year. The Plant, with a capacity of 30 Million Litres per Day (MLD), turns saltwater into the water necessary for refinery activities.

In Mangaluru, PM Modi will launch and lay the groundwork for mechanisation and industrialization projects totaling around Rs 3,800 crores.

The Prime Minister will launch the New Mangalore Port Authority’s project costing over Rs 280 crore to mechanise Berth No. 14 for processing containers and other goods. The automated terminal will improve efficiency and cut turnaround time, pre-berthing delay, and dwell time in the Port by roughly 35%, boosting the business climate. Phase I of the project was completed successfully, adding more than 4.2 MTPA to the handling capacity, which would be increased to more than 6 MTPA by 2025.

The Prime Minister will lay the groundwork for five Port projects valued around Rs 1000 crore. The combined LPG and Bulk Liquid POL Facility, which includes a state-of-the-art cryogenic LPG storage tank terminal, will be capable of efficiently discharging full load VLGC (very large gas carriers) of 45,000 tonnes.

The facility will support the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in the region while also cementing the port’s position as one of the country’s top LPG importing ports. The Prime Minister will set the groundwork for projects such as storage tanks and an edible oil refinery, bitumen storage and related facilities, and bitumen and edible oil storage and related facilities.

These improvements will enhance the turnaround time of bitumen and edible oil vessels while also lowering total trade freight costs. The Prime Minister will also lay the groundwork for the construction of the Kulai Fishing Harbour, which will allow for safer handling of fish harvest and higher pricing in the worldwide market. This work will be carried out under the auspices of the Sagarmala Programme and will have a substantial socioeconomic impact on the fishing community.

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