New Delhi, Nov 2 (NVI): The Defence Ministry today signed contracts worth Rs 53,866.50 crore with two public sector shipyards for the construction of eight Next Generation warships for the Indian Navy, in a major push towards indigenous warship manufacturing.
These warships will be equipped with advanced missiles, weapons and sensor systems, enabling them to undertake operations across air, surface and subsurface domains.
The contracts were signed with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh at Kartavya Bhawan-2 here.
Under the agreement, GRSE will construct five corvettes, while GSL will build the remaining three, the ministry said.
The project marks a significant milestone in India’s indigenous warship design and construction capabilities, as the vessels will be designed by the Indian Navy and built by defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) selected through a competitive process.
Their induction is expected to significantly enhance the Navy’s operational capabilities, including protection of maritime trade routes, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, coastal defence, littoral operations, maritime surveillance and presence missions.
The project is also expected to provide a major boost to the domestic shipbuilding ecosystem by strengthening collaboration among public sector shipyards, private shipbuilders and Indian industrial partners, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
According to the ministry, the project is expected to generate around 72 lakh person-days of employment in shipyards and approximately 460 lakh person-days in ancillary industries and MSMEs over the next 10 years.
The contracts emphasise the use of indigenous materials, equipment, technologies and expertise, in line with the government’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing and the Make-in-India initiative.
The project is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen indigenous defence production and enhance the Indian Navy’s combat capabilities.—(NVI)
