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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said India has the potential to emerge as a global shipbuilding hub as he virtually laid the foundation stones for five expansion projects worth nearly Rs 3,500 crore in West Bengal.
The projects include three facilities of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and two of Yantra India Ltd (YIL). Singh inaugurated the projects virtually from Kolkata.
The GRSE facilities at Kidderpore in Kolkata, Shalimar in Howrah and Raichak in South 24 Parganas are aimed at expanding India’s shipbuilding and ship-repair capabilities. The two YIL projects at the Metal and Steel Factory (MSF) in Ishapore will strengthen indigenous metallurgical and precision manufacturing capabilities for defence production.
“India is capable of becoming a global shipbuilding hub. There is a vacuum occurring in the global shipbuilding industry, and India can capture this opportunity,” Singh said.
As part of its expansion, GRSE has signed lease agreements with the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, for two small shipyards on either bank of the Hooghly, besides a 32-acre riverside property at Raichak.
These projects would expand the shipyard’s capacity for warship construction and refit while generating employment and creating opportunities for ancillary industries, particularly MSMEs.
The Raichak facility will be capable of building warships up to 200 metres long, enabling GRSE to bid for next-generation destroyers, the shipyard official said. The Timber Pond facility in Howrah and the Damodar Complex will strengthen the wider shipbuilding value chain.
The two YIL forging facilities at Ishapore will produce high-quality metals for heavy artillery, naval weapons and advanced defence equipment, Singh said, describing the company as a key pillar of India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem.
Commending GRSE’s contribution to defence self-reliance, Singh cited its record of building more than 800 vessels. He said next-generation offshore patrol vessels under construction would have more than 80 per cent indigenous content.
“This demonstrates that we are rapidly reducing our dependence on foreign sources,” he said, while congratulating GRSE on attaining Navratna status.
Singh also highlighted YIL’s investment of more than Rs 750 crore at MSF Ishapore. The investment will replace legacy systems dating back to 1976 with Industry 4.0-capable precision manufacturing facilities.
“By replacing legacy systems dating back to 1976, this investment will establish Industry 4.0-capable precision manufacturing, accelerating our progress towards indigenous manufacturing of weaponry,” Singh said.
The projects are expected to strengthen domestic defence manufacturing while expanding West Bengal’s role in India’s shipbuilding and defence-industrial ecosystem.
Team BharatShakti
