PM Modi to visit Kerala and Karnataka on September 1-2

New Delhi [India], August 30 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Karnataka and Kerala on September 1-2 to commission the first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi and will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 3,800 crores in Mangaluru.
At 6 pm on September 1, Prime Minister will visit Sri Adi Shankara Janma Bhoomi Kshetram, the holy birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya, at Kalady village near Cochin Airport.
At 9.30 am on September 2, Prime Minister will commission the first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi. Thereafter at 1.30 pm, Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 3,800 crores in Mangaluru, informed the PMO on Tuesday.
Prime Minister has been a strong proponent of Aatmanirbharta, especially in strategic sectors. In what will mark a significant step towards self-reliance in the defence sector, Prime Minister will commission the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
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 her 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.
During the event, the Prime Minister will also unveil the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), doing away with the colonial past and befitting the rich Indian maritime heritage.
Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of mechanization and industrialisation projects worth around Rs 3,800 crores in Mangaluru.
Prime Minister 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. The mechanized terminal will increase efficiency and reduce the turnaround time, pre-berthing delay and dwell time in the Port by around 35 per cent, thus giving a boost to the business environment. Phase I of the project has been successfully completed, adding over 4.2 MTPA to the handling capacity, which would further increase to over 6 MTPA by 2025.
Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of five projects worth around Rs 1000 crore, undertaken by the Port. The integrated LPG and Bulk Liquid POL Facility, equipped with state of an 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.
The facility will bolster Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in the region while reinforcing the port's status as one of the top LPG importing ports in the country. Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of projects for the 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. Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for the development of the Fishing Harbour at Kulai, which will facilitate safe handling of fish catch and enable better prices in the global market. This work will be undertaken under the umbrella of the Sagarmala Programme and will result in significant socio-economic benefits for the fishermen 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 1830 crores, will facilitate the 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 the cost of around Rs 680 crores, will help reduce dependency on fresh water and ensure a 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.