Venkaiah Naidu pats Indian Navy, checks out Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant

The Vice President was briefed on the uniqueness of the project and the progress of construction during the visit. He was also briefed about efforts being made towards ship’s delivery and commissioning prior to August 2022 to commemorate ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

New Delhi: M Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India, visited the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’ under advanced stage of construction at Cochin Shipyard Ltd at Kochi, on 2 January 2022.

The Vice President was briefed on the uniqueness of the project and the progress of construction during the visit. He was also briefed about efforts being made towards ship’s delivery and commissioning prior to August 2022 to commemorate ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

Naidu was appreciative of the Nation’s capability in designing and constructing an Aircraft Carrier and lauded it as a shining example of our 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 of our national interests and also serve as a strong catalyst for peace and stability in the Indian Ocean Region.

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 an Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, India will enter into the select band of countries having niche indigenous capability for designing and building an Aircraft Carrier.

The Indian shipbuilding industry has come a long way since the 1960s with the IAC Vikrant being the hallmark of India’s indigenous industrial capability. The indigenous content in the construction of IAC is close to 76% of the overall project cost of Rs 19341 Crs. The ship has a large number of indigenous materials such as steel, besides other equipment and systems manufactured by Indian industrial houses, and about 100 MSMEs.

The indigenous construction of the carrier has 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 2000 shipyards and 13000 non-yard personnel have been employed per annum towards the construction of IAC.

During the visit, Naidu was accompanied by the Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief of Staff Southern Naval Command Rear Admiral Antony George, NM, VSM, CMD Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) Madhu S Nair, and other senior officials of Navy and CSL.

The Vice President was briefed about the contribution of the indigenous technologies and capabilities during the walk-around of the carrier and he expressed satisfaction and appreciated the efforts of the Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard towards strengthening our indigenous warship building capabilities. He also expressed satisfaction at the progress of work made so far despite COVID-related imponderables.

Later, he visited Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and unveiled APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial. He also laid the foundation stone of a Towed Array Integration Facility and handed over an Automated Sonar Trainer to the Navy.

Addressing scientists and staff of the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory at Kochi, the Vice President, stressed the need for increasing indigenous content in the defence sector and cutting down on imports.

“To achieve that, we need to not only give greater thrust to R & D activities but also allow private collaboration, wherever it is possible and feasible, with stringent quality controls”, Naidu observed.

On this occasion, the Vice President virtually laid the foundation stone of the “Towed Array Integration Facility”, essential for the development of towed array sonar systems, which is critical to the underwater defence. The towed array sonar system is expected to enhance the Navy's capabilities to detect quieter enemy submarines underwater.

Asserting that India is strongly marching ahead on its way to becoming a global superpower in the coming decades, he lauded the scientists in defence, space, and other areas for doing excellent work in strengthening India’s security.