Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit  Andhra Pradesh and Kerala on 16th-17th January, 2024

On 16th January, at around 1:30 PM, Prime Minister will perform pooja and darshan at Veerbhadra Temple, Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh. At around 3:30 PM, Prime Minister will reach Palasamudram, Sri Sathya Sai District and inaugurate the new campus of National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes & Narcotics (NACIN). Prime Minister will also interact with Officer Trainees of 74th and 75th batch of Indian Revenue Service (Custom & Indirect Taxes) as well as officer trainees of Royal Civil Service of Bhutan. 

On 17th January, at around 07:30 AM, Prime Minister will perform pooja and darshan at Guruvayur Temple in Kerala. He will also perform pooja and darshan at Thriprayar Shree Ramaswami Temple at around 10:30 AM. After that, at around 1200 Noon, Prime Minister will inaugurate important infrastructure projects related to the ports, shipping, and waterways sector.

Major boost to ports, shipping, and waterways sector

During his visit to Kochi, Prime Minister will inaugurate three major infrastructure projects worth more than Rs. 4,000 crore viz the New Dry Dock (NDD) at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL); the International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) of CSL; and LPG Import Terminal of Indian Oil Corporation Limited at Puthuvypeen, Kochi. These major infrastructure projects are in line with the Prime Minister’s vision to transform India's ports, shipping, and waterways sector, and build capacity and self-sufficiency in it.

The New Dry Dock, built at a cost of about Rs 1,800 crore at the existing premises of CSL, Kochi, is a flagship project reflecting New India's engineering prowess. This one-of-a-kind 310-meter-long stepped dry dock, with a width of 75/60 meters, depth of 13 meters and a draught of up to 9.5 metres, is one of the largest marine infrastructures in the region. The New Dry Dock project features heavy ground loading which will position India with advanced capabilities to handle strategic assets like future aircraft carriers up to 70,000T displacement as also large commercial vessels, thus eliminating India's dependency on foreign nations for emergency national requirements.

The  International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) project, built at a cost of about Rs 970 crore is a unique facility of its own. It has a ship lift system with a capacity of 6000T, transfer system, six workstations and a berth of approximately 1,400 metre which can accommodate 7 vessels of 130 metre length simultaneously. The ISRF will modernise and expand the existing ship repair capabilities of CSL and will be a step towards transforming Kochi as a global ship repair hub.

The Indian Oil’s LPG Import Terminal at Puthuvypeen, Kochi, built at an cost of about Rs 1,236 Crores, boasts state-of-the-art facilities. With a 15400 MT storage capacity, the terminal will ensure a steady supply of LPG for millions of households and businesses in the region. This project will further strengthen India's efforts towards ensuring accessible & affordable energy for all.

With the commissioning of these 3 projects, the nation’s ship building and repair capacities as well as growth of energy infrastructure including ancillary industries will get a boost. The projects will also boost EXIM Trade, reduce logistics costs, drive economic growth, build self-reliance and create numerous domestic and international business opportunities.

National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes & Narcotics (NACIN)

In a step towards realising the Prime Minister’s vision of improving governance through Civil Service Capacity Building, the new state of the art campus of National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN) at Palasamudram, Sri Sathya Sai District, Andhra Pradesh was conceptualised and built. Spread in 500 acres, the academy is the apex institution of the Government of India for capacity building in the field of Indirect Taxation (Customs, Central Excise and Goods and Services Tax) and Narcotics Control Administration. The national-level world-class training institute will impart training to the officials of Indian Revenue Service (Custom & Indirect Taxes) as well as to the central allied services, state governments & partner nations.

With the addition of this new campus, the NACIN will focus on the use of new age technologies such as Augmented & Virtual Reality, Block-chain as well as Artificial Intelligence and other emerging Technologies for training and capacity building.

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DS/LP