PM Modi to visit Kerala, Karnataka on Sept 1-2; All you need to know

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, at the Cochin Shipyard Limited during his visit to Kochi on September 2. PM Modi is set to travel to the two states of Karnataka and Kerala on September 1 and 2. He will participate in several programmes and inaugurate projects worth around Rs 3,800 crore in Mangaluru.

On September 1, PM Modi will visit the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya at Kalady near Cochin airport at 6 pm. The following day, the Prime Minister will commission INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi at 9:30 am. He will then travel to Mangaluru to lay the foundation stone of projects at 1:30 pm, a note from the Prime Minister’s Office said today.

The commissioning of INS Vikrant will mark a significant step toward self-reliance in the defence sector. Designed by the Indian Navy's in-house Warship Design Bureau, INS Vikrant was built by state-owned Cochin Shipyard Limited. The aircraft carrier is the largest ship built in the maritime history of India, the PMO note said.

With over 2,300 compartments, the INS Vikrant has been designed to house a crew of around 1,700 people. The aircraft carrier has specialised cabins to accommodate women officers, Economic Times reported.

At the inaugural event, the Prime Minister will also unveil the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan).

During his two-day visit, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for mechanisation and industrialisation projects worth around Rs 3,800 crore in Mangaluru. This will include a project worth more than Rs 280 crore for the mechanisation of Berth No. 14 by the New Mangalore Port Authority for handling containers and other cargo.

He will also lay the foundation stone for five projects worth around Rs 1,000 crore undertaken by the port, including an integrated LPG and bulk liquid POL facility, projects for the construction of storage tanks and edible oil refinery, and construction of bitumen storage facilities.

At Kulai, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the development of the fishing harbour that will ensure the safe handling of fish catch.

PM Modi will also inaugurate two projects by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited. The BS VI Upgradation Project by Mangalore Refinery will be worth around Rs 1,830 crore, while the Sea Water Desalination Plant will be set up at a cost of around Rs 680 crore.