Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit the Cochin Shipyard Limited on Friday,  June 25 to review the progress of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) being built there, official sources said on Tuesday.  The Defence Minister's two-day Kochi visit comes in the wake of delay in the IAC's sea trials. The trials were planned in the first half of this year but it got delayed due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Defence spokesperson had earlier said the IAC project was a true example of Atmanirbhar Bharat with close to 75 per cent of the material and equipment onboard being indigenous.

Over 50 Indian manufacturers have been directly involved in this project, which has provided significant employment opportunities for Indian citizens. Close to 2,000 Indians received direct employment onboard IAC on a daily basis and over 40,000 received indirect employment. In addition, about 80-85 per cent of the project cost of approximately Rs 20,000 Crore has been ploughed back into the Indian economy, according to the spokesperson.

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