NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 2: The Ministry of Defence on Monday signed contracts worth Rs 53,866.50 crore with two defence public sector shipyards for the construction of eight Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy, in a major boost to indigenous warship manufacturing and maritime defence capabilities.
The contracts were signed with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in New Delhi.
Under the agreement, GRSE will construct five corvettes, while GSL will build the remaining three.
The project marks a significant milestone in India’s indigenous shipbuilding capabilities, as the warships will be designed by the Indian Navy and constructed by the two defence public sector undertakings selected through a competitive process.
Equipped with advanced missiles, weapons and sensor systems, the next-generation warships will have capabilities to undertake operations across air, surface and sub-surface domains.
Their induction is expected to strengthen the Navy’s ability to protect maritime trade routes, conduct anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations, reinforce coastal defence and undertake littoral combat, maritime surveillance and presence missions.
The project is also expected to provide a major boost to the domestic shipbuilding ecosystem by promoting collaboration between defence public sector undertakings, private shipyards, industrial partners and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
According to the Ministry of Defence, construction of the eight warships is expected to generate approximately 72 lakh person-days of employment in the shipyards and another 460 lakh person-days in ancillary industries and MSMEs over the next 10 years.
The project will promote the use of indigenous materials, equipment, technologies and Indian expertise, contributing to the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative and strengthening domestic defence manufacturing capabilities.
