Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu visited the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) Vikrant that is being constructed at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), on Sunday.
He was given a detailed brief of the vessel by Madhu S. Nair, Chairman and Managing Director of CSL, who explained about the yard’s capabilities and strengths, it’s contributions in developing indigenous technologies and in creating world-class capabilities. Indian Navy personnel too made a detailed presentation about the vessel and its capabilities.
Mr Naidu visited its hangar deck and the flight deck. He was accompanied by Governor Arif Mohammed d Khan, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve and Rear Admiral Antony George, Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command.
The Vice President was briefed on the uniqueness of the project and about efforts being made towards the ship’s delivery and commissioning prior to August 2022, to commemorate ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
He was appreciative of the nation’s capability in designing and constructing the IAC and lauded it as a shining example of the country's quest for ‘Atma Nirbharta’ or self-reliant India.
Indian Navy is a formidable resident maritime power in the Indian Ocean Region and the Aircraft Carrier Battle Group remains central to its concept of operations. Vikrant will provide the Indian Navy with the requisite flexibility, mobility, reach and combat power in pursuance the country's national interests and also serve as a strong catalyst for peace and stability in the Indian Ocean Region, says a release.
An aircraft carrier also holds a position of strategic and technological eminence, and is rightly considered the pinnacle in the domain of warship design and construction. With the construction of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, India will enter into select band of countries having niche indigenous capability for designing and building of an aircraft carrier.
The Indian shipbuilding industry has come a long way since the 1960s, with IAC Vikrant being the hallmark of India’s indigenous industrial capability. Its indigenous content in construction is close to 76% of the overall project cost of ₹19,341 crore. Indigenous steel, equipment and systems manufactured by Indian industrial houses and about 100 MSMEs went into its making.
The indigenous construction of the carrier generated employment opportunities not only within the shipyard but also for many other industries supporting the project externally. This has resulted in a ‘plough back’ effect on the domestic economy. Close to 2,000 shipyard and 13,000 non-yard personnel were employed every year towards its construction, the pressnote says.
Lakshadweep
In Lakshadweep, he inaugurated a 50,000 litres per day capacity sea water reverse osmosis plant at Bangaram, which was commissioned by National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) with the support of Lakshadweep PWD.
This is second of its kind plant commissioned by NIOT in these islands. The first plant with a capacity of 25,000 litres per day had been commissioned at Bitra Island in 2014-15. The flow rate of intake pumping system is around 5 litres per second, while the recovery ratio of the RO plant is around 25%. A system is in place to protect the eco system around the plant, says an official release.