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Former aircraft carrier Viraat to become a floating museum: Fadnavis

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Mumbai, Nov 1 (IANS) Former Indian Navy aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat, will be reincarnated as a floating museum at an estimated cost of Rs 852 crore, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday.

INS Viraat, which holds place of pride in Indian defence history, was decommissioned in March 2017 and since then has been laid up at the Naval Dockyard here.

The decision to convert it into a museum and to highlight its glorious history was approved by the state cabinet meeting presided over by Fadnavis.

The project will be implemented on a public-private partnership mode and a preliminary proposal for this has already been submitted for the Defence Ministry’s approval.

Fadnavis said ‘Viraat’ will be housed on a concrete foundation near the Arabian Sea at the Golden Rocks on Nivati Beach in Sindhudurg district, around 535 km south of Mumbai, near the Goa border.

The ‘Viraat’ complex would include other facilities such as adventures, sailing, skydiving and marine training for merchant sailors. The main museum would be a major attraction for tourists who flock to Sindhudurg, ranked among the cleanest districts in the country.

The Viraat museum will feature facilities related to the marine world, audio-visual programmes, a virtual hall displaying marine history and other attractions.

Fadnavis said a committee headed by the Chief Secretary will work out the modalities of the PPP contract and other details for the project.

Commissioned in 1959 as the Britain’s Royal Navy’s HMS Hermes, it was bought by India and then commissioned into the Navy as ‘INS Viraat’ in 1987.

The 226.50 metres long, 28,700 tonnes (fully loaded) aircraft carrier served the Navy for almost three decades before being de-commissioned last year.

India’s maiden aircraft carrier, the ‘INS Vikrant’ which was decommissioned in January 1997, served as a museum ship in south Mumbai till 2012.

Later, after all efforts to save and preserve it failed, mainly due to resources crunch, it was finally auctioned and sold as scrap in 2014.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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