President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Kolkata, West Bengal, on Thursday to inaugurate ‘Vindhyagiri’ at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) facility on the banks of the Hooghly River. Vindhyagiri is named after the Karnataka mountain range.
President Murmu was greeted in Kolkata by West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, who, along with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, attended the INS ‘Vindhyagiri’ launch ceremony.
The INS ‘Vindhyagiri’ is a cutting-edge stealth frigate or warship. This is the sixth of seven ships built for the Navy as part of “Project 17 Alpha.” The project’s first five ships were launched between 2019 and 2022. This is the third and last stealth frigate built for the Navy by the Kolkata-based warship manufacturer under the project.
According to the official, indigenous firms, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), account for 75% of orders for P17A ship equipment and systems.
The cutting-edge ship will be outfitted with the newest technology and put through intensive testing before being turned over to the Indian Navy for commissioning.
These warships are the Project 17 Class Frigates (Shivalik Class) with better stealth, upgraded armament and sensors, and platform management systems.
According to a GRSE official, the P17A ships are guided missile frigates that are 149 meters long, have a displacement of around 6,670 tonnes, and travel at a speed of 28 knots. These can counter threats in all three dimensions: air, surface, and subsurface.
At the Raj Bhavan earlier in the day, the president introduced the “My Bengal, Addiction Free Bengal” campaign as part of the Brahma Kumaris’ “Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.”
Murmu is visiting West Bengal for the second time since being elected president last year. In March, she paid a visit to the state. Officials reported that security has been increased in the city in preparation for the president’s arrival, and traffic has been restricted on many roadways.
Stay Update with FELA|
