Vikramaditya becomes first Indian naval ship with ATM onboard

New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) The Indian Navy's largest ship and it's newest aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya on Saturday became the first Indian naval ship to have an ATM machine installed onboard, said an official statement.

The one-of-a-kind ATM machine was inaugurated by Rear Admiral K. J. Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding, Karnataka Naval Area and Rajnish Kumar, Managing Director and Group Executive (National Banking Group), State Bank of India (SBI), at a function at the naval base, Karwar.

Captain Krishna Swaminathan, Commanding Officer of INS Vikramaditya said: "The ATM machine will add to the variety of other facilities and amenities available to the crew. It will enable personnel of the ship to manage their domestic financial requirements better and assist them in conducting their money transactions at their own convenience."

The ATM will facilitate the sailors in cash withdrawals, generation of mini-statements, access to bank balance details and change of PIN numbers.

With its over 1600 personnel including 110 officers, INS Vikramaditya -- a 45,400 ton ship with the capability to operate 34 aircraft including helicopters -- can be considered as a a full-fledged township by herself.

"In the near future, the facility will be upgraded to a recycler machine with a cash deposit facility. Additionally, facilities like cash transfer, card-to-card transfer, credit card payment, mobile number registration and updation would also be available," the statement said.

The Indian Navy has a Memorandum of Understanding with the State Bank of India that operates Defence Salary Packages.