Cabinet’s nod to complete INS Vikrant’s construction

NEW DELHI: The Modi government on Wednesday reportedly cleared the allocation of Rs 19,000 crore to complete the ongoing construction of 40,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) INS Vikrant at Cochin shipyard.

Though there was no official word on the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday evening, sources said the long-delayed IAC project was on the agenda.

As was first reported by TOI, the CCS was to approve the Phase-II and III construction of INS Vikrant, which takes its name from India's first carrier that was acquired from the UK in 1961 and later decommissioned in 1997.

Around 75% of the carrier's basic structure, including the hull and deck, has been completed till now at a cost of around Rs 3,500 crore. Now, the superstructure, the upper decks, the cabling, sensors, weapons and the like will be integrated on INS Vikrant, which will be commissioned only in 2018 as per the re-revised time-frame.

Though the IAC project was approved in January 2003, the actual construction of the huge warship began only in 2006. After the carrier's keel was laid in 2009, it was "launched" into water in August last year.

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