President Droupadi Murmu will visit West Bengal on Thursday, August 17.
During her one-day stay in Kolkata, she will launch ‘My Bengal, Addiction Free Bengal’ Campaign under the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’, organized by Brahma Kumaris at Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, a PIB statement said.
President Murmu will also grace the launch of Vindhyagiri – the sixth ship of project 17A of the Indian Navy at Garden Reach Shipbuilders Engineers Limited.
Vindhyagiri, named after the mountain range in Karnataka, is the sixth ship of the Project 17A Frigates.
According to a Ministry of Defende statement, these warships are follow-ons of the Project 17 Class Frigates (Shivalik Class), with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems.
Vindhyagiri is a technologically advanced Frigate and it pays a befitting tribute to the distinguished service of its predecessor, the erstwhile INS Vindhyagiri, the Leander Class ASW Frigate.
The statement said that the old Vindhyagiri in its nearly 31 years of service from July 8, 1981 to June 11, 2012 had witnessed various challenging operations and multinational exercises.
“The newly christened Vindhyagiri stands as a symbol of India’s determination to embrace its rich naval heritage while propelling itself towards a future of indigenous defence capabilities,” the statement said.
Under the Project 17A program, a total of four ships by M/s MDL and three ships byM/s GRSE are under construction.
The project’s first five ships have been launchedby MDL & GRSE, between 2019-2022.
The Defence Ministry informed that the Project 17A ships have been designed in-house by Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau, the pioneer organisation for all warship design activities.
“Aligning with the country’s resolute commitment to ‘AatmaNirbharta’, a substantial 75% of the orders for equipment and systems of Project 17A ships are from indigenous firms, including Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs),” the Ministry said.
“The launch of Vindhyagiri is an apt testament to the incredible progress our Nation has made in building a self-reliant naval force,” it added.
