INDIA. Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the new Naval Ensign that draws inspiration from the seal of great Indian emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and commissioned INS Vikrant, India’s largest ship ever built in the country’s maritime history, at the Cochin Shipyard on Friday.
The new Naval Ensign depicts steadfastness. The octagonal shape represents the eight directions symbolizing the multi-directional reach of the Indian Navy. The Saint George’s cross, which has been on the nation’s flag since the British placed it during the period before independence, is absent from the new insignia.
Between 2001 and 2004, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration removed the cross from the flag, but it was later added back after the Sonia Gandhi-led UPA retook office.
The government chose the new Ensign from around ten different designs that were received by the naval headquarters. There was also a suggestion about including a sign from the times of the ancient navies of India, which included the Cholas and later the Marathas.
Modi, who commissioned INS Vikrant, received the Guard of Honour as he arrived for the Commissioning ceremony in Kerala. Modi described the commissioning of INS Vikrant as a “landmark day for India’s efforts to become Aatmanirbhar (self-reliance) in the defence sector” as the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier was commissioned.
Vikrant was built with cutting-edge automation features by Cochin Shipyard Limited under the Indian Navy’s internal Warship Design Bureau (WDB) design. She has a lot of domestically produced machinery and equipment, including more than 100 MSMEs and major industrial companies like BEL, BHEL, GRSE, Keltron, Kirloskar, Larsen & Toubro, and Wartsila India.
India will now have two active aircraft carriers with the commissioning of Vikrant; the other is “INS Vikramaditya,” a Kiev-class carrier that has been modified. With the construction of Vikrant, India has joined a small group of countries (the US, Russia, France, the UK, and China) that have the specialized ability to design and construct an aircraft carrier domestically.
The carrier’s keel was laid in February 2009 and launched in August 2013 after being constructed at a total cost of almost Rs 20,000 crore.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis complimented the Indian Navy for constructing the first indigenous aircraft carrier.
They also complimented Prime Minister Narendra Modi for unveiling the new Naval Ensign, based on the seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which has done away with early British imprints.
Captain Vidyadhar Karke becomes the first Commanding Officer of INS Vikrant. He hails from Ahmednagar in Maharashtra at present, settled in Pune. He has commanded the landing platform dock INS Jalashwa. He was also fleet operation officer, Eastern Fleet, before taking over as a Commanding Officer of INS Vikrant.
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