PM Narendra Modi on-board INS Vikramaditya; says it will add to the strategic force of India
NEW DELHI: Stressing on the importance of latest technology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that use of technology will help the nation. Addressing the media during his visit to the country's largest warship INS Vikramaditya, Modi said, "INS Vikramaditya will add to the strategic force of the nation."
Modi also said that the government would look at making the nation self-sufficient in defence equipment. "Why should we import defence equipment? We must be self sufficient," Modi said while dedicating aircraft carrier to the nation.
Modi also promised to implement one rank one pension and said that the government will build a war memorial. Modi visited INS Vikramaditya off Goa coast in Arabian Sea, showcasing India's naval prowess.
Arriving on board the warship in a Sea King chopper, the Prime Minister was given the ceremonial guard of honour by the Navy and was briefed about the warship, which will be dedicated to the nation today.
He also sat in a MIG 29 aircraft and had a feel of the combat fighter on the ship sailing off the Goa coast. This is the new Prime Minister's first visit to any defence installation.
During his stay on the ship, acquired from Russia for over Rs 15,000 crore, Modi witnessed 'air power demonstration' by various naval aircraft, including MiG 29K, Sea Harriers, P 8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft, TU 142M and IL-38SD maritime surveillance planes along with Kamov and Sea King helicopters.
Modi interacted with the senior officers and the crew. The deal for the aircraft carrier was signed during the previous NDA regime in 2004 and the ship will be dedicated to the nation after a gap of ten years.
The vessel had joined the Indian Navy on November 16, 2013. The ship was earlier commissioned by the then defence minister A K Antony in Russia.
Vikramaditya, a floating airfield, has an overall length of about 284 metres and a maximum beam of about 60 metres, stretching as much as three football fields put together.
Standing about 20 storeys tall from the keel to the highest point, the ship has a total of 22 decks and carries 1,600 personnel.
Its logistics requirements include nearly a lakh of eggs, 20,000 litres of milk and 16 tonnes of rice per month. With her complete stock of provisions, she is capable of sustaining herself at sea for about 45 days.
It is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier which was purchased by India from Russia for the Indian Navy in 2013. The ship has been renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, a legendary 1st century BC emperor.
Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet (until the dissolution of the Soviet Union) and Russian Navies before being decommissioned in 1996, it being too expensive to operate.