PM Modi will visit Karnataka and Kerala on Thursday and Friday (September 1-2) to commission the first indegenous aircraft carrier as INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi and he is set to inaugurate and lay foundation stone for a trail of projects in Mangaluru. Besides, the PM to visit Adi Shankara Janma Bhoomi Kshetram, the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya, at Kalady village near Cochin Airport.
On Thursday (September 1) at 6 PM, PM Modi will visit Sri Adi Shankara Janma Bhoomi Kshetram after arriving at Cochin Airport. On Friday at 9.30 AM the PM is scheduled to commission the first indegenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. the Prime Minister will also unveil the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), doing away with the colonial past and befitting the rich Indian maritime heritage. Thereafter he will travel to Mangaluru and at 1.30 PM, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 3,800 crores.
What Is INS Vikrant?
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.
The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is named after its 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.
PM Modi in Mangaluru
PM Modi will inaugurate the project worth over Rs 280 crore for mechanisation of Berth No 14 for handling containers and other cargo, undertaken by the New Mangalore Port Authority.
Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of five projects worth around Rs 1,000 crore, undertaken by the Port. The integrated LPG and Bulk Liquid POL Facility, equipped with a state-of-the-art cryogenic LPG storage tank terminal, will be capable of unloading full load VLGC (very large gas carriers) of 45,000 tonnes in a highly efficient manner.
PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of projects for construction of storage tanks and edible oil refinery, construction of bitumen storage and allied facilities and construction of bitumen & edible oil storage and allied facilities. These projects will improve the turnaround time of bitumen and edible oil vessels and reduce the overall freight cost for trade.
The PM will also lay the foundation stone for development of a Fishing Harbour at Kulai, which will facilitate safe handling of fish catch. This work will be undertaken under the umbrella of the 'Sagarmala Programme', and will result in significant socio-economic benefits for the fishermen's community.
Prime Minister will also inaugurate two projects undertaken by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited viz BS VI Upgradation Project and Sea Water Desalination Plant. The BS VI Upgradation Project, worth around Rs 1,830 crores, will facilitate production of ultra-pure environment-friendly BS-VI grade fuel (with sulphur content less than 10 PPM).
The Sea Water Desalination Plant, set up at a cost of around Rs 680 crores, will help reduce dependency on fresh water and ensure regular supply of hydrocarbons and petrochemicals throughout the year. Having a capacity of 30 Million Litres per Day (MLD), the Plant converts seawater into water required for the refinery processes.