INS Vikrant: Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned India's first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on Friday, that put India into a select league of countries with domestic capability to build such large war ships. The Prime Minister commissioned the carrier, built at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore, at a function organised at the Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi. With the commissioning of Vikrant, India joined a select group of nations having the niche capability to indigenously design and build an aircraft carrier. PM Modi unveiled a plaque to mark the induction of INS Vikrant, named after its predecessor that played a crucial role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, into the Navy. The carrier is equipped with state-of-the-art features. During the event, PM also unveiled the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), doing away with the colonial past. The new insignia represents the rich Indian maritime heritage.
