PM Modi dedicates INS Vikramaditya to the nation

We dream of an India that is self-sufficient in manufacturing defence equipment using the latest technology, tweets Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday dedicated INS Vikramaditya, the largest and most powerful aircraft carrier inducted into the Indian Navy, to the nation, terming it an "important day for our nation".

He said it was a "proud moment for the people of India and our armed forces".

Modi took to Twitter and said that we dream of an India that is self-sufficient in manufacturing defence equipment using the latest technology.

"Addition of INS Vikramaditya will add tremendous might to our Navy. I congratulate all officials of the Indian Navy on this historic day," the prime minister tweeted.

A tweet from the Prime Minister's Office also quoted Modi as saying: "We need to give immense importance to latest technology. This will help the nation."

He also emphasised that India must be "self-sufficient" in manufacturing defence equipment.

"Why should we import defence equipment? We must be self-sufficient. Why can't we send our defence equipment to other nations," Modi tweeted.

While on board INS Vikramaditya, Modi also hopped into the cockpit of a MiG-29 K fighter jet.

The 44,500-tonne INS Vikramaditya, procured from Russia, is one of the newest acquisitions of the Indian Navy and the most powerful symbol of its military reach.

It was commissioned by then defence minister A.K. Antony last November at Russia's Sevmash shipyard.