New Delhi, Nov 2 The defence ministry on Monday said it has sealed contracts worth Rs 53,866 crore with two state-run shipbuilders to procure eight next generation warships for the Indian Navy to bolster its combat prowess, especially in the Indian Ocean, amid China’s increasing forays into the region.
The contracts were signed with Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for acquisition of the corvettes featuring advanced missiles, weapons and sensor suites that will enable them to undertake complex missions.
Under the contracts, GRSE will construct five corvettes, while GSL will construct the remaining three, the ministry said.
“The project marks a significant milestone in India’s indigenous warship design and construction capabilities, as it is the first project in which the ships will be indigenously designed by the Indian Navy and constructed by defence public sector undertakings,” it said.
“The corvettes will be equipped with state-of-the-art capabilities, including advanced missiles, weapons and sensor suites, enabling them to undertake missions across the air, surface and sub-surface domains,” it added.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the corvettes will provide a significant impetus to India’s shipbuilding sector by strengthening collaboration among defence PSUs, private shipyards and Indian industrial partners.
“The construction of these ships will generate approximately 72 lakh person-days of employment in the shipyards and 460 lakh person-days in ancillary industries and MSMEs over the next 10 years,” he said on social media.
“By promoting the use of Made-in-India materials and equipment, indigenous technologies, and Indian skills and expertise, the project represents a major step towards achieving Aatmanirbharta in defence manufacturing and reinforces Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to Make-in-India,” he said.
The ministry said the induction of the ships will significantly enhance the Indian Navy’s operational capabilities in safeguarding maritime trade routes, conducting anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations, strengthening coastal defence, undertaking littoral combat operations, and carrying out maritime surveillance missions.
(PTI News)
