Days after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the proposal on October 28, the Ministry of Defence on Monday signed contracts worth Rs 53,866.50 crore with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for the construction of eight Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy.
Under the agreement, GRSE will build five corvettes, while GSL will construct the remaining three.
The project marks a significant milestone in India’s indigenous warship-building programme. For the first time, the corvettes will be designed in-house by the Indian Navy and constructed by defence public sector shipyards selected through a competitive process.
The NGCs will feature advanced missiles, weapons and sensor suites, enabling operations across the air, surface and sub-surface domains. Their induction is expected to strengthen the Navy’s capabilities in anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, coastal defence, littoral operations and maritime surveillance, while enhancing its ability to protect critical sea lanes and maritime trade routes.
The acquisition is also expected to provide a substantial boost to India’s domestic shipbuilding ecosystem, with participation from defence shipyards, private industry and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). According to MoD, the project is projected 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 ten years.
The Ministry said the programme would promote the use of indigenous materials, equipment, technologies and expertise, reinforcing the government’s push for Atmanirbharta in defence manufacturing and the Make in India initiative.
Team BharatShakti
