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President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday reached Kolkata, West Bengal, and launched ‘Vindhyagiri’, at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd’s (GRSE) facility on the banks of Hooghly river. Vindhyagiri has been named after the mountain range in Karnataka. In Kolkata, President Murmu was received by West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, who along with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were also present on the INS ‘Vindhyagiri’ launch occasion. INS ‘Vindhyagiri’ is an advanced stealth frigate, or warship. This is the sixth of seven ships built under ‘Project 17 Alpha’ for the Navy. The first five ships of the project were launched between 2019 and 2022. This is the third and last stealth frigate that the Kolkata-based warship maker was contracted to build for the Navy under the project. The official said that 75 per cent of orders for equipment and systems of P17A ships are from indigenous firms, including micro, The state-of-the-art ship will be fitted with the latest gadgets and undergo extensive trials before being handed over to the Indian Navy for commissioning into service. These warships are follow-ons of the (Shivalik Class), with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems. P17A ships are guided missile frigates, each of which is 149 metres long, with the displacement of approximately 6,670 tonnes and a speed of 28 knots, according to a GRSE official. These are capable of neutralising threats in all three dimensions of air, surface and sub-surface. Earlier in the day, the president launched ‘My Bengal, Addiction Free Bengal’ campaign under the organised by Brahma Kumaris at the Raj Bhavan. This is Murmu’s second visit to West Bengal after being elected the president last year. She visited the state in March. Security was tightened in the city in view of the president’s visit with traffic being regulated on several roads, officials said. Mint
